Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Higuey

For one person, living is cheaper in Higuey: $926 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Higuey
Learn more

Higuey Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Higuey

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $926 in Higuey.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Higuey $926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,521 in Higuey.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Higuey $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,116 in Higuey.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Higuey $2,116

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 30% more expensive than in Higuey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Higuey 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$9.95 DOP 598

7.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$52.3 DOP 3,144

-16.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.43 DOP 446

58.68%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.12 DOP 127

78.77%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.07 DOP 64.2

21.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.49 DOP 29.24

69.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.51 DOP 151

25.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.04 DOP 183

62.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.20 DOP 72.3

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.54 DOP 92.7

42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.38 DOP 82.8

6.52%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.00 DOP 120

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.36 DOP 442

-0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.26 DOP 316

51.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.78 DOP 407

89.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.92 DOP 175

-0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.76 DOP 45.92

81.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.46 DOP 87.8

70.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.29 DOP 77.2

57.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.14 DOP 68.2

77.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.18 DOP 70.6

61.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.56 DOP 33.50

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.52 DOP 31.14

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$5.22 DOP 314

-18.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$10.19 DOP 612

-3.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.43 DOP 146

-34.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.88 DOP 173

-4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.84 DOP 50.5

-39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$48.70 DOP 2,925

-43.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$3.39 DOP 203

40.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$2.19 DOP 131

48.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$5.70 DOP 343

-5.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.47 DOP 88.2

4.08%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

-15.29%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$31.2K DOP 1.9M

-25.38%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$93.0 DOP 5,586

-10.24%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$16.84 DOP 1,011

37.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$33.54 DOP 2,015

-17.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$24.52 DOP 1,473

130.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$66.9 DOP 4,020

-57.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.29 DOP 438

-31.41%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$97.5 DOP 5,857

112.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$2,149 DOP 129.1K

143.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$44.91 DOP 2,697

-3.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$45.51 DOP 2,733

-6.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$85.8 DOP 5,150

-15.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$79.2 DOP 4,756

11.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$300 DOP 18.0K

231.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$217 DOP 13.0K

76.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$570 DOP 34.2K

193.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$415 DOP 24.9K

160.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,862 DOP 111.8K

109.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,225 DOP 73.6K

400.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$444 DOP 26.7K

87.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.5

-0.43%

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 Higuey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Higuey

$217 23.4% 43.3% $166

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Higuey

$194 20.9% 24.8% $64

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Higuey

$152 16.4% 24% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Higuey

$143 15.5% 6.8% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Higuey

$115 12.4% 3.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Higuey

$39 4.2% 41.1% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Higuey

$66 7.2% 31.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $300 in Higuey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $52 in Higuey. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $194, with Higuey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇴 Higuey

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

123,787

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Higuey 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Higuey

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 Higuey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Higuey is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $300 in Higuey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $926 in Higuey – Higuey is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 44% less than in Higuey. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Higuey wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.