Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hilton Head Island, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,925 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Hilton Head Island, SC
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Hilton Head Island, SC Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Hilton Head Island, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hilton Head Island, SC

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 Hilton Head Island, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,925 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,925

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,687 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,687

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,449 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,449

Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper than Hilton Head Island, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Hilton Head Island, SC is 115% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$19.92 $19.92

-45.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$60.1 $60.1

-27.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$11.29 $11.29

4.34%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$4.97 $4.97

-23.34%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$3.09 $3.09

-58.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$2.03 $2.03

-61.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$4.93 $4.93

-35.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$6.07 $6.07

-18.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$0.71 $0.71

98.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$3.27 $3.27

-32.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$3.69 $3.69

-61.52%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.91 $2.91

-13.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.72 $8.72

-16.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.56 $9.56

-19.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.15 $13.15

-3.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$4.61 $4.61

-39.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.46 $1.46

-6.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$3.87 $3.87

-34.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$4.57 $4.57

-53.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$2.89 $2.89

-32.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$3.08 $3.08

-38.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$2.53 $2.53

-54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$2.43 $2.43

-51.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$9.05 $9.05

-52.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$15.07 $15.07

-33.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.13 $2.13

-25.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.14 $3.14

-14.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$1.54 $1.54

222.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$1.13 $1.13

194.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$13.75 $13.75

-61.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$0.94 $0.94

53.19%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$31.2K $31.2K

-33.71%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$25.9K $25.9K

-9.34%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$216 $216

-60.77%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$55.1 $55.1

-57.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$67.8 $67.8

-57.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$20.28 $20.28

181.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$14.54 $14.54

-64.65%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$1,294 $1,294

-84.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$11.9K $11.9K

-67.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$34.48 $34.48

25.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$34.82 $34.82

19.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$80.3 $80.3

-7.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$71.4 $71.4

25.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$2,151 $2,151

-54.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$1,769 $1,769

-78.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$2,272 $2,272

-24.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$3,619 $3,619

8.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$3,538 $3,538

74.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,451 $3,451

-78.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.64

72.44%

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 Hilton Head Island, SC: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$1.8K 60.5% 364% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$351 12% 37.8% $96

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$310 10.6% 53.3% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$339 11.6% 148% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$99 3.4% 11% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$49 1.7% 26.7% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$7.2 * 0.3% 85.8% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,151 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hilton Head Island, SC are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $60 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $351 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Hilton Head Island, SC

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

40,512

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hilton Head Island, SC 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hilton Head Island, SC

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 Hilton Head Island, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilton Head Island, SC costs about 143% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,387 in Hilton Head Island, SC. 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 $980 there versus $2,151 in Hilton Head Island, SC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,925 in Hilton Head Island, SC. That makes Playa del Carmen about 59% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,294 in Hilton Head Island, SC. 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 $1,204, than in Hilton Head Island, SC at $2,925. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hilton Head Island, SC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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