Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Holetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Holetown: $363 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Holetown

🇧🇧 Barbados

$363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $363 in Holetown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Holetown $363

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $809 in Holetown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Holetown $809

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,255 in Holetown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Holetown $1,255

Playa del Carmen costs about 232% more than Holetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Holetown are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Holetown 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$12.54 BBD 25.08

-12.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$105 BBD 209

-58.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$13.21 BBD 26.43

-10.83%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.58 BBD 9.17

-16.81%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.51 BBD 3.03

-15.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.27 BBD 2.53

-38.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.78 BBD 3.56

78.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.08 BBD 6.15

60.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.71 BBD 3.41

-67.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

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

$23.41 MX$439

$30.39 BBD 60.8

-22.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$79.6 BBD 159

-28.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$12.68 BBD 25.37

-59.46%

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

$207 MX$3,878

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$6,305 BBD 12.6K

-37.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Holetown: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Holetown

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Holetown

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Holetown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Holetown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Holetown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Holetown

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Holetown

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $105 in Holetown. Use this as a proxy for overall food spending across the two cities.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇧 Holetown

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

14:09 2:09 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Barbados Dollar BBD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BBD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.23 BBD (1 BBD = 0.448 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Holetown 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Holetown

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 Holetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $363 in Holetown – Holetown comes out roughly 70% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $545 in Holetown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $363 in Holetown. That makes Holetown about 70% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $105 in Holetown. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Holetown, where all-in costs run around $363, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Holetown it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen 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 $363 in Holetown to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.