Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hermanus

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermanus: $1,143 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Hermanus
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Hermanus Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Hermanus

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,143 in Hermanus.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Hermanus $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,761 in Hermanus.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Hermanus $1,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,379 in Hermanus.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Hermanus $2,379

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 5% more expensive than in Hermanus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Hermanus 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$13.33 R 222

-18.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$34.96 R 583

24.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.74 R 95.7

105.23%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.32 R 38.69

64.22%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.09 R 18.20

17.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.87 R 14.49

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.48 R 41.39

27.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.68 R 44.69

83.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.16 R 19.32

21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.10 R 18.29

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.74 R 29.00

-18.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.57 R 42.85

-1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.38 R 140

-13.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.90 R 81.7

57.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$7.12 R 119

78.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.87 R 31.12

48.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.62 R 26.98

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.74 R 29.00

46.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.72 R 28.66

23.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.54 R 25.59

25.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.40 R 23.27

35.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.25 R 20.75

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.15 R 19.15

2.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.23 R 53.8

33.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.81 R 114

46.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.47 R 24.49

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.95 R 32.55

36.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.48 R 24.74

-62.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.59 R 9.86

742.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.95 R 15.88

250.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$11.88 R 198

-54.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.48 R 24.70

-2.70%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$35.8K R 595.8K

-42.21%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$34.1K R 568.1K

-31.17%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$151 R 2,514

-43.81%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$35.84 R 597

-34.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$40.58 R 676

-29.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$21.59 R 360

164.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$14.20 R 237

103.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$5.93 R 98.8

-13.32%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$247 R 4,114

-16.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,649 R 94.1K

-30.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$53.6 R 894

-19.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$33.22 R 554

24.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$103 R 1,720

-28.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$87.4 R 1,457

2.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$400 R 6,667

144.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$372 R 6,197

2.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$746 R 12.4K

128.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$739 R 12.3K

45.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$860 R 14.3K

358.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$697 R 11.6K

783.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.94

4.66%

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 Hermanus: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Hermanus

$372 32.6% 2.4% $9

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Hermanus

$196 17.2% 22.9% $58

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Hermanus

$177 15.5% 12.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Hermanus

$227 19.9% 66.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Hermanus

$125 10.9% 11.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Hermanus

$33 2.9% 50.3% $34

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Hermanus

$11 * 1% 77.6% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $400 in Hermanus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $35 in Hermanus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $196 per month, with Hermanus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Hermanus

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

22:36 10:36 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

56,139

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hermanus 12,740 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hermanus

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 Hermanus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hermanus is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,714 in Hermanus to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $400 in Hermanus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,143 in Hermanus – Hermanus is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Hermanus gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.