Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roatan and Playa del Carmen

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

59

Cost of Living Index in Roatan
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Roatan Living Index
58

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

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Roatan

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,228

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Roatan and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.18 HNL 220

$10.92 MX$204

-25.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.19 HNL 1,080

$43.37 MX$808

-7.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.59 HNL 231

$11.78 MX$220

-27.08%

Cappuccino

$4.28 HNL 115

$3.81 MX$71.0

12.34%

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

$0.95 HNL 25.49

$1.28 MX$23.90

-25.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 HNL 23.21

$0.78 MX$14.59

10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 HNL 67.6

$3.17 MX$59.0

-20.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 HNL 138

$4.93 MX$92.0

4.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 HNL 38.73

$1.41 MX$26.22

2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 HNL 84.8

$2.22 MX$41.33

41.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 HNL 66.2

$1.42 MX$26.42

73.24%

Eggs

$1.97 HNL 53.0

$2.52 MX$47.03

-21.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 HNL 300

$7.26 MX$135

53.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 HNL 174

$7.70 MX$143

-16.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 HNL 473

$12.69 MX$237

38.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 HNL 30.10

$1.37 MX$25.50

-18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 HNL 30.18

$2.55 MX$47.55

-56.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 HNL 14.04

$2.12 MX$39.58

-75.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 HNL 43.84

$1.94 MX$36.13

-15.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 HNL 40.10

$1.89 MX$35.16

-21.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 HNL 31.41

$1.15 MX$21.37

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 HNL 78.8

$1.18 MX$21.98

148.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 HNL 78.4

$4.30 MX$80.1

-32.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 HNL 212

$9.95 MX$185

-20.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 HNL 35.77

$1.58 MX$29.52

-15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 HNL 69.5

$2.67 MX$49.79

-3.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 HNL 55.3

$4.97 MX$92.6

-58.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.14 HNL 272

$5.36 MX$99.8

89.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 HNL 27.63

$1.44 MX$26.92

-28.47%

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)

$29.5K HNL 793.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

25.85%

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)

$99.6 HNL 2,675

$28.66 MX$534

247.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 HNL 1,644

$57.1 MX$1,063

7.26%

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)

$505 HNL 13.6K

$207 MX$3,851

144.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.37 HNL 1,084

$43.35 MX$808

-6.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.93 HNL 535

$41.44 MX$772

-51.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.69 HNL 1,066

$74.2 MX$1,383

-46.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.2 HNL 1,349

$89.3 MX$1,664

-43.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 HNL 22.5K

$980 MX$18.3K

-14.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 HNL 14.9K

$381 MX$7,099

45.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 HNL 52.9K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

15.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 HNL 33.2K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

14.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,906 HNL 51.2K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-51.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,323 HNL 35.5K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-78.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$497 HNL 13.3K

$735 MX$13.7K

-32.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

57.21%

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

Last update for Roatan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roatan

$553 45.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 31.1% $172

Groceries & Markets

Roatan

$272 * 22.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 6.2% $17

Eating Out

Roatan

$173 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 17.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roatan

$100 * 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 37.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Roatan

$68 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 65.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Roatan

$61 * 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 10% $6.1

Getting Around

Roatan

$2.1 * 0.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2349% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $838 in Roatan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $40 in Roatan versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Roatan vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇳 Roatan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

12:00 12:00 PM

1 h ahead of Roatan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,425

149,923

💱 Currency

Honduran Lempira HNL L

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.34 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to HNL – Honduran Lempira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇳 Honduran Lempira (L)

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 26.87 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 29.9 HNL (100 HNL = 3.34 EUR).

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).

USD to HNL in detail →

On the map

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Roatan Playa del Carmen 480 km

From you

Roatan
Playa del Carmen

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

Roatan vs Playa del Carmen: 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 $1,842 per month in Roatan and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,228 in Roatan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $505 per month in Roatan and $207 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,228 in Roatan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, 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.