Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hato Mayor del Rey

For one person, living is cheaper in Hato Mayor del Rey: $626 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Hato Mayor del Rey
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Hato Mayor del Rey Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Hato Mayor del Rey

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hato Mayor del Rey

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 Hato Mayor del Rey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $626 in Hato Mayor del Rey, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Hato Mayor del Rey $626

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,009 in Hato Mayor del Rey, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Hato Mayor del Rey $1,009

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,392 in Hato Mayor del Rey, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Hato Mayor del Rey $1,392

Playa del Carmen costs about 93% more than Hato Mayor del Rey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Hato Mayor del Rey are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Hato Mayor del Rey 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$8.40 DOP 513

28.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$797

$41.18 DOP 2,515

4.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.96 DOP 425

69.40%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.6

$1.81 DOP 111

113.81%

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

$1.37 MX$25.36

$0.70 DOP 42.85

95.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.49

$0.41 DOP 24.98

104.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.5

$2.53 DOP 155

22.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.9

$4.06 DOP 248

24.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.15 DOP 70.4

25.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.34

$1.73 DOP 105

28.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.25

$1.49 DOP 90.8

-1.34%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.84

$1.44 DOP 87.8

75.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$6.09 DOP 372

19.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$146

$3.61 DOP 220

117.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$237

$3.88 DOP 237

229.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.7

$3.63 DOP 222

-20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.60

$1.44 DOP 87.9

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.20

$3.29 DOP 201

-22.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.13

$0.93 DOP 56.9

121.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$37.07

$3.44 DOP 210

-41.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.17

$2.94 DOP 180

-31.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.08

$0.87 DOP 53.1

36.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.29

$0.78 DOP 47.72

61.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.6

$4.81 DOP 294

-8.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$178

$16.33 DOP 997

-41.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.50

$2.87 DOP 175

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$52.1

$3.35 DOP 205

-16.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$516

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.4

$2.44 DOP 149

104.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.8

$3.23 DOP 197

8.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.15

$1.44 DOP 87.7

2.08%

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

$21.0K MX$388.9K

$14.9K DOP 909.9K

40.85%

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

$23.9K MX$443.0K

$25.4K DOP 1.5M

-5.76%

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

$84.2 MX$1,560

$92.5 DOP 5,650

-8.98%

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

$23.99 MX$444

$27.15 DOP 1,658

-11.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$538

$37.87 DOP 2,313

-23.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,167

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.6

$4.91 DOP 300

0.61%

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

$204 MX$3,773

$146 DOP 8,906

39.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$73.0K

$5,387 DOP 329.0K

-26.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$808

$26.37 DOP 1,610

65.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$799

$45.30 DOP 2,767

-4.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,404

$62.5 DOP 3,819

21.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,642

$64.6 DOP 3,947

37.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,931

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$73.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$14.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hato Mayor del Rey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Hato Mayor del Rey

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Hato Mayor del Rey

$216 34.5% 16.5% $43

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Hato Mayor del Rey

$135 21.6% 33.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Hato Mayor del Rey

$158 25.2% 14.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Hato Mayor del Rey

$89 14.3% 20.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Hato Mayor del Rey

$9.8 * 1.6% 86.5% $63

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Hato Mayor del Rey

$19 * 3% 64.6% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $41.00 in Hato Mayor del Rey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $216 – making Hato Mayor del Rey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇴 Hato Mayor del Rey

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

16:43 4:43 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

61,517

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.4 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.53 MXN (100 MXN = 5.4 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hato Mayor del Rey 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hato Mayor del Rey

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 Hato Mayor del Rey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $939 in Hato Mayor del Rey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $41.00 in Hato Mayor del Rey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hato Mayor del Rey, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Hato Mayor del Rey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hato Mayor del Rey – 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 Hato Mayor del Rey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.