Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hilo, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,865 in Hilo, HI, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Hilo, HI
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Hilo, HI Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Hilo, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hilo, HI

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,865 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Hilo, HI $2,865

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,388 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Hilo, HI $4,388

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,910 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Hilo, HI $5,910

Playa del Carmen is about 58% cheaper than Hilo, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Hilo, HI is 112% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$20.77 $20.77

-48.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$79.9 $79.9

-45.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$12.17 $12.17

-3.12%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$5.63 $5.63

-32.68%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$2.90 $2.90

-55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$2.42 $2.42

-65.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$6.32 $6.32

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$7.57 $7.57

-34.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.75 $1.75

-19.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$10.08 $10.08

-78.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$4.28 $4.28

-65.65%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$7.07 $7.07

-64.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$19.98 $19.98

-63.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$17.57 $17.57

-54.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$30.15 $30.15

-57.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$8.57 $8.57

-66.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$2.39 $2.39

-42.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$10.48 $10.48

-76.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$12.21 $12.21

-83.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$9.04 $9.04

-77.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$7.81 $7.81

-75.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$5.36 $5.36

-78.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$3.02 $3.02

-58.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$11.90 $11.90

-64.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$22.03 $22.03

-55.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.76 $1.76

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$2.95 $2.95

61.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$2.00 $2.00

62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$23.57 $23.57

-77.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.41 $1.41

8.51%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

-16.83%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$26.0K $26.0K

-10.65%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$302 $302

-72.35%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$67.7 $67.7

-65.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$125 $125

-77.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$37.04 $37.04

52.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$25.30 $25.30

11.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$13.24 $13.24

-62.24%

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

$207 MX$3,897

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$11.8K $11.8K

-55.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$36.77 $36.77

18.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$29.88 $29.88

42.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$66.8 $66.8

8.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$83.9 $83.9

5.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$1,463 $1,463

-32.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$1,142 $1,142

-66.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$2,574 $2,574

-34.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$2,199 $2,199

-50.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$5,600 $5,600

-30.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$4,662 $4,662

31.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$3,795 $3,795

-78.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.62

72.96%

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 Hilo, HI: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Hilo, HI

$1.1K 39.9% 199% $760

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Hilo, HI

$715 * 25% 178% $458

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Hilo, HI

$338 11.8% 68.9% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Hilo, HI

$495 17.3% 269% $361

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Hilo, HI

$98 3.4% 12.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Hilo, HI

$64 2.2% 4.4% $2.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Hilo, HI

$13 * 0.5% 74.3% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,463 in Hilo, HI. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hilo, HI are about 4.6 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 $80 in Hilo, HI. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $715 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Hilo, HI

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

5 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,186

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hilo, HI 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hilo, HI

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 Hilo, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilo, HI costs about 138% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,297 in Hilo, HI. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,463 in Hilo, HI.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,865 in Hilo, HI. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 178% more in Hilo, HI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Hilo, HI at $2,865. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hilo, HI 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 $2,865 in Hilo, HI. 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, Hilo, HI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.