Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ho

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho: $682 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ho, Ghana
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Ho
🇬🇭 Ghana
$682
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $682 in Ho.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Ho $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,152 in Ho.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Ho $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,623 in Ho.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Ho $1,623

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 76% more expensive than in Ho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Ho 50% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ho
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$8.78 GHS 102
21.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$52.4 GHS 609
-16.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$10.40 GHS 121
13.37%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$4.51 GHS 52.5
-15.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.57 GHS 18.25
-17.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.47 GHS 5.49
76.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$1.88 GHS 21.86
67.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$2.29 GHS 26.58
115.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ho
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$3.75 GHS 43.67
-62.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.61 GHS 18.77
36.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$3.21 GHS 37.35
-54.21%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$2.64 GHS 30.75
-5.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$12.23 GHS 142
-40.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$7.12 GHS 82.9
11.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$9.86 GHS 115
30.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$3.75 GHS 43.57
-22.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.44 GHS 16.80
-4.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$1.84 GHS 21.40
35.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$3.68 GHS 42.80
-44.84%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$2.79 GHS 32.40
-27.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$2.73 GHS 31.76
-30.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$0.75 GHS 8.70
52.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.56 GHS 6.53
121.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$2.60 GHS 30.27
64.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$7.23 GHS 84.1
35.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.23 GHS 14.33
29.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.44 GHS 28.39
12.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ho
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$1.73 GHS 20.16
175.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$1.26 GHS 14.62
157.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$4.36 GHS 50.8
23.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.37 GHS 15.93
11.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$7,998 GHS 93.0K
165.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$20.1K GHS 233.6K
15.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ho
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$72.4 GHS 842
15.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$19.22 GHS 224
20.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$42.10 GHS 490
-34.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ho
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$12.87 GHS 150
-61.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ho
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$462 GHS 5,369
-55.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$18.6K GHS 216.8K
-71.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ho
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$14.27 GHS 166
204.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$18.98 GHS 221
124.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$37.07 GHS 431
96.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$52.5 GHS 610
68.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ho
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ho
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
26.75
-57.20%

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 Ho: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Ho
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Ho
$281 9.2% $24
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Ho
$178 11.3% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Ho
$134 0.4% $0.5
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Ho
$55 50.3% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Ho
$26 * 61.3% $41
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Ho
$8 * 84.1% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $52 in Ho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $281 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇬🇭 Ho
🕒 Local time
12:42 12:42 PM
17:42 5:42 PM
5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
83,715
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.02 GHS (100 GHS = 7.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Ho 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Ho

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 Ho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Playa del Carmen and in Ho?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $682 in Ho, so Ho is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Ho?
You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,022 in Ho 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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Ho?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $462 in Ho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $52 in Ho. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $682 in Ho versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ho but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Ho?
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.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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