Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hulhumale

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,420 in Hulhumale, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hulhumale outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
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Hulhumale Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,420

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,420 in Hulhumale.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Hulhumale $1,420

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,583 in Hulhumale.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Hulhumale $2,583

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,747 in Hulhumale.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Hulhumale $3,747

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 15% less than in Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Hulhumale is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$6.09 MVR 93.9

79.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$39.34 MVR 607

10.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$9.58 MVR 148

22.96%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MVR 75.5

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.47 MVR 53.5

9.80%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.60 MVR 24.64

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.29 MVR 4.46

168.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.54 MVR 23.70

-8.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.62 MVR 24.97

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.33 MVR 5.10

330.30%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.84 MVR 28.39

36.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$3.29 MVR 50.8

120.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.94 MVR 91.5

29.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$9.36 MVR 144

35.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.02 MVR 61.9

-30.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$3.14 MVR 48.43

-56.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.84 MVR 43.72

-10.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$2.65 MVR 40.87

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.23 MVR 19.00

57.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.15 MVR 17.66

64.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.08 MVR 32.15

-44.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.58 MVR 9.00

103.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.13 MVR 187

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MVR 41.78

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 MVR 29.90

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$12.99 MVR 200

-66.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.99 MVR 30.74

149.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.92 MVR 29.58

73.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$10.09 MVR 156

-46.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.98 MVR 15.04

46.94%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$32.6K MVR 502.7K

-36.61%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$28.9K MVR 444.9K

-18.67%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$105 MVR 1,617

-19.13%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$29.88 MVR 461

-21.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$71.5 MVR 1,103

-59.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$9.57 MVR 148

-46.29%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$183 MVR 2,825

12.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$3,027 MVR 46.7K

29.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$38.84 MVR 599

11.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$49.67 MVR 766

-16.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$85.7 MVR 1,321

-13.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$52.3 MVR 806

70.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,147 MVR 17.7K

-14.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$762 MVR 11.8K

-50.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,237 MVR 34.5K

-23.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,299 MVR 35.5K

-53.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$5,433 MVR 83.8K

-27.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$506 MVR 7,798

1117.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$721 MVR 11.1K

1.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-18.21%

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 Hulhumale: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Hulhumale

$762 53.7% 100% $381

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Hulhumale

$193 13.6% 24.4% $62

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Hulhumale

$127 8.9% 37.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Hulhumale

$206 14.5% 50.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Hulhumale

$102 7.2% 8.8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Hulhumale

$19 * 1.4% 71.6% $48

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Hulhumale

$12 * 0.8% 77% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,147 in Hulhumale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $39 in Hulhumale for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $193 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

06:23 6:23 AM

10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.17 MVR (100 MVR = 5.83 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hulhumale 16,540 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hulhumale

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 Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Hulhumale. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $2,130 in Hulhumale 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,147 in Hulhumale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $183 in Hulhumale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hulhumale – a meal for two runs $39 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.