Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Roatan

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Roatan: $1,204 and $1,228 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Roatan
Learn more

Roatan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Roatan

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,228 in Roatan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Roatan $1,228

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,000 in Roatan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Roatan $2,000

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,773 in Roatan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Roatan $2,773

Playa del Carmen is about 2% cheaper than Roatan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Playa del Carmen and Roatan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Roatan 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$8.18 HNL 220

33.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$40.19 HNL 1,080

7.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$8.59 HNL 231

37.14%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.28 HNL 115

-10.98%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.95 HNL 25.49

34.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.86 HNL 23.21

-9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.51 HNL 67.6

26.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$5.15 HNL 138

-4.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.44 HNL 38.73

-2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.15 HNL 84.8

-29.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.46 HNL 66.2

-42.28%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.97 HNL 53.0

27.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.17 HNL 300

-35.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.46 HNL 174

19.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$17.61 HNL 473

-27.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.12 HNL 30.10

22.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.12 HNL 30.18

127.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.52 HNL 14.04

307.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.63 HNL 43.84

19.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.49 HNL 40.10

26.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.17 HNL 31.41

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$2.93 HNL 78.8

-59.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.92 HNL 78.4

47.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.91 HNL 212

25.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.33 HNL 35.77

18.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.59 HNL 69.5

3.09%

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

$2.06 HNL 55.3

141.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$10.14 HNL 272

-47.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.03 HNL 27.63

39.81%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$29.5K HNL 793.4K

-20.54%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

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

$23.41 MX$436

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$99.6 HNL 2,675

-71.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$61.2 HNL 1,644

-6.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

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

$207 MX$3,851

$505 HNL 13.6K

-59.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$40.37 HNL 1,084

7.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$19.93 HNL 535

107.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$39.69 HNL 1,066

86.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$50.2 HNL 1,349

77.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$838 HNL 22.5K

16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$553 HNL 14.9K

-31.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,968 HNL 52.9K

-13.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,236 HNL 33.2K

-13.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,906 HNL 51.2K

106.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,323 HNL 35.5K

365.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$497 HNL 13.3K

47.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-36.39%

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 Roatan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Roatan

$553 45.1% 45.2% $172

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Roatan

$272 * 22.1% 6.6% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Roatan

$173 14.1% 14.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Roatan

$100 * 8.1% 27.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Roatan

$68 5.5% 39.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Roatan

$61 * 5% 9.1% $6.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Roatan

$2.1 * 0.2% 95.9% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $838 in Roatan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 48% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $40 in Roatan. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $272 in Roatan – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇭🇳 Roatan

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

12:49 12:49 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,425

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, 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).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 26.87 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 29.91 HNL (100 HNL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Roatan 480 km

From you

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Roatan

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 Roatan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roatan is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,842 in Roatan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roatan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $838 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,228 in Roatan. That’s a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $505 in Roatan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,228 in Roatan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,228 in Roatan. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.