Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro Sula and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in San Pedro Sula and in Playa del Carmen: $1,221 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro Sula
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San Pedro Sula Living Index
59

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

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San Pedro Sula

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,221

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Pedro Sula 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 San Pedro Sula and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,221 per month in San Pedro Sula vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pedro Sula $1,221
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,818 per month in San Pedro Sula vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pedro Sula $1,818
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,414 per month in San Pedro Sula vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pedro Sula $2,414
Playa del Carmen $3,016

San Pedro Sula costs about 1% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Pedro Sula and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Pedro Sula 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 HNL 200

$10.76 MX$199

-30.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.86 HNL 910

$43.03 MX$795

-21.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 HNL 252

$11.79 MX$218

-20.61%

Cappuccino

$2.34 HNL 62.9

$3.87 MX$71.4

-39.53%

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

$1.06 HNL 28.52

$1.37 MX$25.29

-22.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 HNL 20.90

$0.84 MX$15.44

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 HNL 49.68

$3.10 MX$57.3

-40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 HNL 97.3

$5.07 MX$93.6

-28.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 HNL 41.10

$1.44 MX$26.55

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 HNL 54.6

$2.23 MX$41.23

-8.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 HNL 43.56

$1.47 MX$27.17

10.20%

Eggs

$2.35 HNL 63.0

$2.53 MX$46.71

-7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 HNL 238

$7.30 MX$135

21.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 HNL 179

$7.86 MX$145

-15.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 HNL 248

$12.79 MX$236

-27.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 HNL 93.7

$2.90 MX$53.6

20.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 HNL 34.12

$1.44 MX$26.53

-11.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 HNL 86.0

$2.55 MX$47.07

25.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 HNL 46.31

$2.06 MX$38.03

-16.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 HNL 65.4

$2.00 MX$36.97

21.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 HNL 63.0

$2.01 MX$37.07

16.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 HNL 38.37

$1.19 MX$22.02

20.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 HNL 44.45

$1.26 MX$23.23

30.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 HNL 81.8

$4.40 MX$81.4

-30.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 HNL 347

$9.59 MX$177

34.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 HNL 22.99

$1.59 MX$29.41

-45.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 HNL 37.44

$2.81 MX$51.9

-50.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 HNL 17.07

$0.57 MX$10.47

12.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.87 HNL 963

$27.82 MX$514

28.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 HNL 73.3

$4.98 MX$92.1

-45.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 HNL 49.63

$3.50 MX$64.6

-47.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 HNL 297

$5.40 MX$99.8

105.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 HNL 25.03

$1.47 MX$27.08

-36.73%

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

$23.0K HNL 617.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

9.45%

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

$24.4K HNL 655.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

2.12%

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

$129 HNL 3,478

$84.2 MX$1,556

53.77%

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

$11.29 HNL 303

$23.99 MX$443

-52.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.72 HNL 1,174

$29.02 MX$536

50.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.53 HNL 1,008

$63.0 MX$1,164

-40.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 HNL 378

$29.14 MX$539

-51.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.76 HNL 155

$4.94 MX$91.3

16.60%

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

$148 HNL 3,971

$204 MX$3,763

-27.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,203 HNL 86.0K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-18.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.2 HNL 1,965

$43.60 MX$806

67.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.91 HNL 1,072

$43.12 MX$797

-7.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 HNL 2,107

$75.8 MX$1,400

3.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.9 HNL 2,013

$88.6 MX$1,637

-15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 HNL 15.3K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-43.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 HNL 11.3K

$374 MX$6,911

12.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 HNL 22.0K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-52.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 HNL 19.0K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-36.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$992 HNL 26.6K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-74.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$426 HNL 11.4K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-93.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 HNL 16.3K

$754 MX$13.9K

-19.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.33

11.45

7.69%

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

Last update for San Pedro Sula: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Pedro Sula

$421 34.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 11.2% $47

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro Sula

$256 21%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 1% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro Sula

$185 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 25.6% $47

Eating Out

San Pedro Sula

$139 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 45% $63

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro Sula

$120 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 5.8% $6.9

Getting Around

San Pedro Sula

$50 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 4.3% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro Sula

$49 4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 48.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $568 in San Pedro Sula versus $1,008 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 24% 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 $34.00 in San Pedro Sula versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $258 – making San Pedro Sula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇳 San Pedro Sula

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h ahead of San Pedro Sula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

719,064

149,923

💱 Currency

Honduran Lempira HNL L

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.31 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.2 HNL (100 HNL = 3.31 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to HNL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Pedro Sula Playa del Carmen 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Pedro Sula
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

San Pedro Sula vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Pedro Sula is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,831 per month in San Pedro Sula and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,221 in San Pedro Sula and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 1%.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in San Pedro Sula at $1,221. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Pedro Sula it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Pedro Sula makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.