Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
145

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hong Kong

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Hong Kong $3,005

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,643 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Hong Kong $4,643

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,281 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Hong Kong $6,281

Playa del Carmen is about 60% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 122% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$7.80 HK$61.2

39.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$64.7 HK$508

-31.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.24 HK$48.97

88.46%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.01 HK$39.34

-26.55%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.29 HK$10.12

3.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.11 HK$8.74

-26.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$7.77 HK$61.0

-60.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$6.41 HK$50.3

-22.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.90 HK$22.79

-49.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.33 HK$18.29

-4.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.23 HK$17.51

-33.63%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.45 HK$27.04

-27.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$24.96 HK$196

-69.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.79 HK$69.0

-9.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$17.71 HK$139

-29.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.15 HK$32.59

-33.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.63 HK$20.62

-45.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$4.54 HK$35.65

-42.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.09 HK$32.08

-47.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$3.22 HK$25.25

-37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$3.26 HK$25.56

-38.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.65 HK$12.94

-30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.74 HK$13.62

-31.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$13.45 HK$106

-68.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$15.16 HK$119

-33.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.97 HK$15.44

-21.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.22 HK$17.42

19.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.28 HK$10.04

-58.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$90.1 HK$707

-69.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.67 HK$28.84

33.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.35 HK$10.60

154.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$16.21 HK$127

-66.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$4.20 HK$32.94

-65.48%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$44.9K HK$352.2K

-52.86%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$36.8K HK$288.9K

-37.48%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$238 HK$1,865

-64.07%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$15.70 HK$123

49.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$21.91 HK$172

29.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$91.1 HK$715

-31.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$9.14 HK$71.8

213.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$12.96 HK$102

-60.65%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$1,172 HK$9,201

-82.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$22.2K HK$174.2K

-82.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$67.9 HK$533

-34.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$43.57 HK$342

-5.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$83.1 HK$652

-12.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$123 HK$963

-26.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$2,255 HK$17.7K

-56.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,752 HK$13.7K

-78.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$5,173 HK$40.6K

-67.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-69.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$29.3K HK$229.7K

-86.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$17.5K HK$137.1K

-64.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,285 HK$25.8K

-77.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.79

202.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3% 370% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Hong Kong

$410 13.7% 58.8% $152

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Hong Kong

$203 6.7% 1.2% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Hong Kong

$275 9.2% 101% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Hong Kong

$143 4.8% 27.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Hong Kong

$117 3.9% 61.7% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Hong Kong

$106 3.5% 104% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,255 in Hong Kong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 345% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $410 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

12:57 12:57 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hong Kong 14,720 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hong Kong

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 Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $3,005 in Hong Kong – roughly 150% apart. 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 $4,508 in Hong Kong. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $65.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $3,005 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 150%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $3,005 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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