Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hargeysa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hargeysa: $451 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Hargeysa
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Hargeysa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Hargeysa

🇸🇴 Somalia

$451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hargeysa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Hargeysa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $451 in Hargeysa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Hargeysa $451

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $738 in Hargeysa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Hargeysa $738

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,025 in Hargeysa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Hargeysa $1,025

Playa del Carmen costs about 167% more than Hargeysa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Hargeysa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Hargeysa 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.96 SOS 2,817

120.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$17.81 SOS 10.1K

143.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.47 SOS 3,108

115.36%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.52 SOS 866

150.66%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.91 SOS 518

40.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.14 SOS 646

-31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.30 SOS 741

8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.10 SOS 626

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.09 SOS 619

30.28%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.46 SOS 1,395

2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.45 SOS 3,666

19.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$3.93 SOS 2,235

222.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.04 SOS 1,158

36.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.49 SOS 844

-8.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.02 SOS 1,147

26.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.29 SOS 731

64.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.28 SOS 725

51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.52 SOS 861

24.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.02 SOS 577

12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.62 SOS 352

90.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.02 SOS 579

321.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.29 SOS 167

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$12.15 SOS 6,900

119.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.78 SOS 443

537.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.68 SOS 384

389.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$3.91 SOS 2,223

37.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.06 SOS 601

35.85%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$10.2K SOS 5.8M

103.55%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$12.1K SOS 6.9M

93.56%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,592

$45.05 SOS 25.6K

88.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$439

$7.56 SOS 4,292

209.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$19.91 SOS 11.3K

43.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$36.84 SOS 20.9K

54.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$2.03 SOS 1,150

1324.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,878

$25.45 SOS 14.5K

711.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$268 SOS 151.9K

1368.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$12.57 SOS 7,141

244.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$19.70 SOS 11.2K

110.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$17.76 SOS 10.1K

317.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$30.47 SOS 17.3K

192.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$109 SOS 61.7K

801.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$70.6 SOS 40.1K

439.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$295 SOS 167.8K

478.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$170 SOS 96.4K

533.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,918 SOS 2.8M

-19.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$299 SOS 170.0K

145.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-42.75%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hargeysa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Hargeysa

$71 15.7% 81.5% $310

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Hargeysa

$134 * 29.8% 47.3% $120

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Hargeysa

$83 * 18.3% 59.2% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Hargeysa

$73 16.1% 47% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Hargeysa

$36 8% 67.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Hargeysa

$37 * 8.2% 45.3% $30

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Hargeysa

$17 3.9% 65.4% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $109 in Hargeysa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.5 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $18 in Hargeysa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $134 – making Hargeysa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇴 Hargeysa

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,960,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 634 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hargeysa 13,710 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hargeysa

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Hargeysa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 167% more than Hargeysa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $676 in Hargeysa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hargeysa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $109 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $451 in Hargeysa. That makes Hargeysa about 63% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Hargeysa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Hargeysa, where all-in costs run around $451, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Hargeysa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hargeysa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Hargeysa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.