Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Humboldt

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,211 in Humboldt, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Humboldt
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Humboldt Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Humboldt

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,211 in Humboldt.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Humboldt $2,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,061 in Humboldt.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Humboldt $3,061

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,911 in Humboldt.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Humboldt $3,911

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 45% less than in Humboldt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 9% below, Humboldt is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$200

$10.65 CA$15.15

3.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$816

$31.25 CA$44.44

43.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$217

$10.39 CA$14.78

14.73%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.2

$3.50 CA$4.98

8.57%

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

$1.31 MX$23.86

$2.17 CA$3.09

-39.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.58

$0.88 CA$1.25

-2.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$58.4

$4.11 CA$5.85

-21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$91.2

$4.13 CA$5.88

21.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.53

$1.55 CA$2.20

-5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.33

$1.75 CA$2.49

33.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.24

$3.06 CA$4.35

-52.94%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$44.78

$1.77 CA$2.52

38.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$140

$13.78 CA$19.60

-44.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$144

$11.33 CA$16.12

-30.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$233

$16.54 CA$23.53

-22.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.1

$4.21 CA$5.98

-30.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.87

$1.45 CA$2.07

-2.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$46.66

$3.75 CA$5.33

-31.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$38.88

$3.60 CA$5.12

-40.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.42

$2.21 CA$3.14

-11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.22

$2.30 CA$3.27

-15.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.94

$2.60 CA$3.70

-55.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.21

$1.91 CA$2.72

-36.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$79.6

$14.81 CA$21.07

-70.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$179

$12.99 CA$18.48

-24.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$27.97

$3.45 CA$4.91

-55.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.40

$3.44 CA$4.89

-20.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.55

$2.26 CA$3.22

-76.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$499

$61.3 CA$87.3

-55.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$89.4

$3.65 CA$5.19

34.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.1

$0.77 CA$1.09

357.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$103

$21.40 CA$30.45

-73.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.01

$1.05 CA$1.50

46.67%

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

$21.2K MX$386.3K

$27.8K CA$39.6K

-23.68%

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

$24.5K MX$445.4K

$20.1K CA$28.5K

22.01%

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

$83.6 MX$1,521

$119 CA$169

-29.54%

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

$24.03 MX$437

$51.8 CA$73.7

-53.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$534

$55.7 CA$79.2

-47.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,180

$40.86 CA$58.1

58.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$536

$17.78 CA$25.29

65.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$92.5

$9.72 CA$13.83

-47.63%

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

$208 MX$3,778

$469 CA$667

-55.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$73.6K

$10.7K CA$15.3K

-62.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$810

$50.1 CA$71.3

-11.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$765

$37.29 CA$53.0

12.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,374

$94.3 CA$134

-19.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,662

$108 CA$153

-15.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$17.9K

$1,255 CA$1,785

-21.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,007

$1,107 CA$1,574

-65.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.2K

$1,963 CA$2,792

-12.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.2K

$1,730 CA$2,461

-35.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.0K

$4,275 CA$6,081

-6.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$113.6K

$3,587 CA$5,103

74.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.58

150.00%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Humboldt: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Humboldt

$1.1K 51.3% 187% $721

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Humboldt

$357 16.6% 37.3% $97

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Humboldt

$199 9.2% 2.2% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Humboldt

$226 10.5% 65.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Humboldt

$130 6% 14.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Humboldt

$60 2.8% 19.6% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Humboldt

$78 3.6% 49.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $1,255 in Humboldt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $31.00 in Humboldt. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $357, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Humboldt

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

04:40 4:40 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,700

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.38 MXN (100 MXN = 4.91 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Humboldt 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Humboldt

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 Humboldt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,823 in Playa del Carmen and $3,317 in Humboldt 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: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,255 in Humboldt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 124% less than in Humboldt. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $208 in Playa del Carmen versus $469 in Humboldt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,211 in Humboldt, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Humboldt. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Humboldt, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Humboldt are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Humboldt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.