Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nuku'alofa

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuku'alofa: $1,019 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Nuku'alofa
Learn more

Nuku'alofa Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Nuku'alofa

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Nuku'alofa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,019 in Nuku'alofa.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Nuku'alofa $1,019

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,886 in Nuku'alofa.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Nuku'alofa $1,886

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,752 in Nuku'alofa.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Nuku'alofa $2,752

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 19% more expensive than in Nuku'alofa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Nuku'alofa 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$200

$8.52 TOP 20.26

28.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$816

$61.8 TOP 147

-27.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$217

$10.32 TOP 24.54

15.50%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.2

$2.93 TOP 6.96

29.69%

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

$1.31 MX$23.86

$2.82 TOP 6.70

-53.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.58

$2.52 TOP 5.99

-65.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$58.4

$3.38 TOP 8.02

-5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$91.2

$5.03 TOP 11.97

-0.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.53

$1.52 TOP 3.61

-3.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.33

$1.07 TOP 2.54

117.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.24

$2.11 TOP 5.02

-31.75%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$44.78

$4.97 TOP 11.81

-50.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$140

$8.75 TOP 20.81

-12.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$144

$5.91 TOP 14.04

33.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$233

$7.82 TOP 18.60

63.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.1

$2.79 TOP 6.63

4.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.87

$2.71 TOP 6.44

-47.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$46.66

$2.87 TOP 6.81

-10.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$38.88

$3.68 TOP 8.75

-41.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.42

$3.16 TOP 7.51

-38.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.22

$2.65 TOP 6.29

-26.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.94

$2.28 TOP 5.42

-49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.21

$1.42 TOP 3.37

-14.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$79.6

$10.24 TOP 24.34

-57.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$179

$17.36 TOP 41.28

-43.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$27.97

$3.14 TOP 7.45

-50.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.40

$3.41 TOP 8.11

-20.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.55

$2.14 TOP 5.08

-75.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$499

$41.65 TOP 99.0

-34.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$89.4

$2.05 TOP 4.88

139.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.1

$2.07 TOP 4.92

70.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$103

$41.16 TOP 97.9

-86.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.01

$1.47 TOP 3.50

4.76%

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

$21.2K MX$386.3K

$5,817 TOP 13.8K

265.09%

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

$24.5K MX$445.4K

$8,461 TOP 20.1K

189.41%

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

$83.6 MX$1,521

$188 TOP 446

-55.43%

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

$24.03 MX$437

$22.27 TOP 52.9

7.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$534

$123 TOP 291

-76.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,180

$31.62 TOP 75.2

105.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$536

$40.72 TOP 96.8

-27.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$92.5

$40.75 TOP 96.9

-87.51%

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

$208 MX$3,778

$157 TOP 373

32.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$73.6K

$248 TOP 589

1533.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$810

$14.35 TOP 34.11

210.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$765

$17.98 TOP 42.74

133.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,374

$20.42 TOP 48.53

269.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,662

$29.28 TOP 69.6

212.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$17.9K

$619 TOP 1,472

59.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,007

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.2K

$831 TOP 1,976

106.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.2K

$560 TOP 1,331

97.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.0K

$418 TOP 993

861.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$113.6K

$252 TOP 598

2381.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.8K

$680 TOP 1,616

11.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Nuku'alofa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Nuku'alofa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Nuku'alofa

$292 28.6% 12% $31

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Nuku'alofa

$183 17.9% 10.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Nuku'alofa

$332 32.6% 143% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Nuku'alofa

$37 3.6% 67.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Nuku'alofa

$113 11.1% 50.7% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Nuku'alofa

$63 6.1% 20.3% $11

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 $986 in Playa del Carmen and $619 in Nuku'alofa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $62.0 in Nuku'alofa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $292 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

15:56 3:56 PM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 TOP = 0.421 USD

1 TOP = 0.375 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, 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 = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.38 TOP (1 TOP = 0.421 USD). 1 EUR = 2.67 TOP (1 TOP = 0.375 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nuku'alofa 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nuku'alofa

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 Nuku'alofa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Nuku'alofa differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,215 vs $1,019 including rent). Nuku'alofa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $619 in Nuku'alofa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nuku'alofa – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,019 in Nuku'alofa – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,019 in Nuku'alofa versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nuku'alofa but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Nuku'alofa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Nuku'alofa 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 Nuku'alofa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.