Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hormigueros

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,320 in Hormigueros, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Hormigueros despite lower rent and utilities.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Hormigueros
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,320
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,320 in Hormigueros, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Hormigueros $1,320

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,075 in Hormigueros, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Hormigueros $2,075

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,829 in Hormigueros, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Hormigueros $2,829

Playa del Carmen is about 9% cheaper than Hormigueros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Hormigueros are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Hormigueros 2% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Hormigueros
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$18.76 $18.76
-43.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$80.5 $80.5
-45.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$9.43 $9.43
25.03%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.51 $3.51
7.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.91 $1.91
-31.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$1.51 $1.51
-45.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$3.02 $3.02
4.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$5.06 $5.06
-2.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Hormigueros
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$2.19 $2.19
-35.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$3.65 $3.65
-39.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$2.45 $2.45
-40.00%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$7.45 $7.45
-66.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$12.37 $12.37
-41.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$9.51 $9.51
-16.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$13.25 $13.25
-2.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$5.18 $5.18
-44.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.53 $2.53
-45.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$4.79 $4.79
-48.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$4.69 $4.69
-56.72%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$3.85 $3.85
-47.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$4.03 $4.03
-52.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$3.52 $3.52
-67.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$1.64 $1.64
-24.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$12.01 $12.01
-64.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$15.64 $15.64
-37.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$3.11 $3.11
-48.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$4.02 $4.02
-31.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Hormigueros
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
$2.56 $2.56
85.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$1.47 $1.47
121.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$42.52 $42.52
-87.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.18 $1.18
29.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$34.9K $34.9K
-39.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$28.1K $28.1K
-17.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Hormigueros
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$323 $323
-74.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$70.2 $70.2
-66.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$69.3 $69.3
-60.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Hormigueros
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
$10.30 $10.30
-51.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Hormigueros
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$807 $807
-74.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$12.7K $12.7K
-58.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Hormigueros
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$56.0 $56.0
-22.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$60.4 $60.4
-29.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$110 $110
-33.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$114 $114
-22.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Hormigueros
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
Hormigueros
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.55
74.81%

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 Hormigueros: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Hormigueros
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Hormigueros
$414 61% $157
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Hormigueros
$259 29.5% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Hormigueros
$463 245% $328
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Hormigueros
$153 37.8% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Hormigueros
$21 * 69% $46
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Hormigueros
$9.9 * 80.4% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $80 in Hormigueros. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $414 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇷 Hormigueros
🕒 Local time
19:57 7:57 PM
20:57 8:57 PM
1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
11,934
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Hormigueros 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Hormigueros

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 Hormigueros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Hormigueros?
Hormigueros costs about 10% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Hormigueros?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,980 in Hormigueros. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Hormigueros?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $80 in Hormigueros. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Hormigueros?
Groceries cost about 61% more in Hormigueros, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Hormigueros?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,320 in Hormigueros, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Hormigueros?
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 $1,320 in Hormigueros. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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