Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kauai, Hawaii

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,605 in Kauai, Hawaii, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Kauai, Hawaii
Learn more

Kauai, Hawaii Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kauai, Hawaii

🇺🇸 United States

$2,605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kauai, Hawaii

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,605 in Kauai, Hawaii.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kauai, Hawaii $2,605

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,851 in Kauai, Hawaii.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kauai, Hawaii $3,851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,097 in Kauai, Hawaii.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kauai, Hawaii $5,097

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 54% less than in Kauai, Hawaii, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Kauai, Hawaii is 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$19.36 $19.36

-43.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$75.8 $75.8

-42.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$10.98 $10.98

7.29%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.95 $4.95

-23.03%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.53 $2.53

-49.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.95 $1.95

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$6.07 $6.07

-47.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$6.97 $6.97

-29.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.99 $0.99

42.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.48 $3.48

-36.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$4.27 $4.27

-66.74%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$4.09 $4.09

-38.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.44 $12.44

-41.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.49 $11.49

-32.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$15.60 $15.60

-18.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.77 $4.77

-41.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.61 $1.61

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$4.35 $4.35

-41.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$4.59 $4.59

-53.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.87 $2.87

-32.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.89 $2.89

-34.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.00 $2.00

-42.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$2.17 $2.17

-45.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$9.47 $9.47

-54.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$13.83 $13.83

-28.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.77 $1.77

-10.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.44 $3.44

-22.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.06 $2.06

-73.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$55.5 $55.5

-52.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.54 $3.54

40.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.57 $1.57

112.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$29.13 $29.13

-81.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.84 $0.84

71.43%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$29.3K $29.3K

-29.43%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$25.9K $25.9K

-9.52%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$185 $185

-54.09%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$53.9 $53.9

-56.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$68.1 $68.1

-57.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$43.26 $43.26

31.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$13.53 $13.53

-62.01%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,282 $1,282

-83.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$23.1K $23.1K

-82.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$50.1 $50.1

-13.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$39.37 $39.37

5.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$85.0 $85.0

-12.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$112 $112

-20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,605 $1,605

-38.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$1,329 $1,329

-71.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,647 $2,647

-35.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,266 $2,266

-52.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,817 $2,817

39.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$2,482 $2,482

148.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.51

75.88%

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 Kauai, Hawaii: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kauai, Hawaii

$1.3K 51% 249% $948

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kauai, Hawaii

$385 14.8% 51.3% $131

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kauai, Hawaii

$309 11.9% 52.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kauai, Hawaii

$307 11.8% 124% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kauai, Hawaii

$129 5% 15.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kauai, Hawaii

$70 2.7% 4.5% $3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kauai, Hawaii

$75 2.9% 48.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,605 in Kauai, Hawaii. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $76 in Kauai, Hawaii for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $385 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Kauai, Hawaii

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

07:00 7:00 AM

5 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

73,610

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kauai, Hawaii 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kauai, Hawaii

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 Kauai, Hawaii: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Kauai, Hawaii. 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 $3,907 in Kauai, Hawaii 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 $1,605 in Kauai, Hawaii. 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 52% less than in Kauai, Hawaii. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,282 in Kauai, Hawaii. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,605 in Kauai, Hawaii, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kauai, Hawaii. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Kauai, Hawaii. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.