Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hays, KS

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,778 in Hays, KS, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Hays, KS
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Hays, KS Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Hays, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hays, KS

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 Hays, KS actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,778 in Hays, KS, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Hays, KS $1,778

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,517 in Hays, KS, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Hays, KS $2,517

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,256 in Hays, KS, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Hays, KS $3,256

Playa del Carmen is about 32% cheaper than Hays, KS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Hays, KS is 32% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$11.83 $11.83

-9.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$41.42 $41.42

5.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.10 $8.10

45.56%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$4.09 $4.09

-7.33%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.48 $2.48

-47.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.97 $0.97

-14.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.82 $3.82

-17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.13 $4.13

19.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.83 $0.83

69.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.22 $2.22

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$4.30 $4.30

-65.81%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.05 $2.05

21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.37 $4.37

66.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$8.67 $8.67

-8.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.30 $13.30

-3.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$6.36 $6.36

-54.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.65 $1.65

-16.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$5.99 $5.99

-58.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.37 $4.37

-53.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.79 $3.79

-46.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.19 $2.19

-13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.94 $1.94

-41.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.94 $1.94

-36.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$9.49 $9.49

-55.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$11.97 $11.97

-18.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.15 $2.15

-26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.90 $3.90

-29.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$2.01 $2.01

-74.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$65.1 $65.1

-57.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.52 $2.52

88.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.53 $1.53

112.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$40.54 $40.54

-86.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.03 $1.03

48.54%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$28.2K $28.2K

-24.72%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$26.6K $26.6K

-12.40%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$273 $273

-69.46%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$34.81 $34.81

-33.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$63.2 $63.2

-56.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$36.63 $36.63

54.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$15.02 $15.02

-66.71%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$925 $925

-77.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.8K $17.8K

-70.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$24.23 $24.23

79.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$29.97 $29.97

41.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$103 $103

-29.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$110 $110

-19.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$806 $806

23.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$598 $598

-36.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$999 $999

67.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$903 $903

19.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,596 $2,596

50.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,572 $2,572

138.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$2,362 $2,362

-64.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.57

74.28%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hays, KS: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Hays, KS

$598 33.6% 56.4% $216

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Hays, KS

$329 18.5% 27.8% $72

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Hays, KS

$209 11.8% 4.4% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Hays, KS

$371 20.9% 177% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Hays, KS

$120 6.8% 8.2% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Hays, KS

$67 3.8% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Hays, KS

$83 4.7% 65.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $806 in Hays, KS. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hays, KS are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $41 in Hays, KS. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $329 in Hays, KS – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Hays, KS

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

03:36 3:36 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,726

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Hays, KS 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hays, KS

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 Hays, KS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hays, KS is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,667 in Hays, KS. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hays, KS, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $806 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $925 in Hays, KS. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Hays, KS at $1,778. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hays, KS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,778 in Hays, KS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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