Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Higuey Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Higuey

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 56.2% more expensive than Higuey without rent, and 89.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 53.1% more expensive than Higuey without rent, and 109.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Higuey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$4.63 DOP 277
155.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$29.11 DOP 1,739
44.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$5.07 DOP 303
112.03%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.22 DOP 132
56.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.46 DOP 27.25
215.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.44 DOP 26.25
104.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$1.89 DOP 113
61.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$3.06 DOP 183
44.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Higuey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.04 DOP 62.1
31.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$1.05 DOP 62.4
78.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$0.82 DOP 48.68
87.80%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$1.53 DOP 91.6
63.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$2.59 DOP 155
232.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$3.42 DOP 204
152.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$5.17 DOP 309
113.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$3.35 DOP 200
-17.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$0.86 DOP 51.4
66.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$2.90 DOP 173
-35.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.95 DOP 116
11.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$0.92 DOP 55.0
104.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$2.35 DOP 140
-4.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$1.08 DOP 64.3
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.89 DOP 53.2
20.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$4.19 DOP 250
-0.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$11.59 DOP 692
-10.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.69 DOP 101
-0.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.49 DOP 148
-0.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Higuey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$1.03 DOP 61.6
-46.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$3.36 DOP 201
-4.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$2.12 DOP 127
16.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$5.91 DOP 353
-47.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.27 DOP 76.1
-0.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$26.0K DOP 1.6M
18.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$31.5K DOP 1.9M
-23.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Higuey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$50.9 DOP 3,041
61.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$25.47 DOP 1,521
-12.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$26.06 DOP 1,556
15.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Higuey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$14.23 DOP 850
261.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$4.13 DOP 247
20.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Higuey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$272 DOP 16.2K
-26.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$8,248 DOP 492.6K
-35.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Higuey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$60.8 DOP 3,628
-41.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$52.7 DOP 3,147
-24.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$95.7 DOP 5,713
-15.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$116 DOP 6,912
-23.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Higuey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$161 DOP 9,600
503.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$110 DOP 6,592
336.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$277 DOP 16.6K
475.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$215 DOP 12.8K
450.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Higuey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
12.25
-6.78%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Higuey: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities