Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,766 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index
58

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

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,766

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,766 per month in The Hague vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

The Hague $2,766
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,187 per month in The Hague vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

The Hague $4,187
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,609 per month in The Hague vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

The Hague $5,609
Playa del Carmen $2,959

The Hague costs about 130% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The Hague sits 103% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 €20.03

$10.92 MX$205

104.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.5

$43.37 MX$814

109.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.95 €13.39

$11.78 MX$221

26.91%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.80

$3.81 MX$71.5

11.29%

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

$4.11 €3.68

$1.28 MX$24.07

221.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 €3.80

$0.78 MX$14.70

444.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 €6.59

$3.17 MX$59.5

132.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 €7.09

$4.93 MX$92.7

60.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.41 MX$26.40

2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.22 MX$41.62

3.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$1.42 MX$26.61

80.28%

Eggs

$4.57 €4.09

$2.52 MX$47.36

81.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.50 €12.99

$7.26 MX$136

99.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.06 €11.70

$7.70 MX$144

69.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.31 €17.29

$12.69 MX$238

52.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.38

$2.78 MX$52.3

-4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.37 MX$25.68

59.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.55 MX$47.89

-20.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 €3.26

$2.12 MX$39.86

71.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.94 MX$36.39

-29.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.89 MX$35.41

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.15 MX$21.53

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.18 MX$22.13

-21.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.77 €13.23

$4.30 MX$80.6

243.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 €5.35

$9.95 MX$187

-39.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.58 MX$29.73

-15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.67 MX$50.1

-26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.87 €4.36

$0.55 MX$10.39

785.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 €74.7

$26.62 MX$500

213.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 €4.25

$4.97 MX$93.3

-4.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.48 €3.11

$3.33 MX$62.5

4.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.87 €30.33

$5.36 MX$101

531.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.44 MX$27.11

76.39%

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

$40.5K €36.3K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

96.19%

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

$39.2K €35.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

67.05%

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

$283 €254

$84.8 MX$1,592

233.94%

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

$28.00 €25.08

$23.41 MX$439

19.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €49.97

$28.66 MX$538

94.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.86 €41.97

$57.1 MX$1,071

-17.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.12 €21.61

$28.91 MX$543

-16.57%

Cinema Ticket

$15.92 €14.26

$5.14 MX$96.5

209.73%

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

$2,577 €2,308

$207 MX$3,878

1147.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.6K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

200.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.9

$43.35 MX$814

121.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.00 €39.41

$41.44 MX$778

6.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$74.2 MX$1,393

41.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$89.3 MX$1,676

53.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 €1,530

$980 MX$18.4K

74.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 €1,193

$381 MX$7,150

249.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,907 €2,604

$1,708 MX$32.1K

70.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,430 €2,176

$1,075 MX$20.2K

126.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,313 €5,654

$3,943 MX$74.0K

60.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,515 €4,043

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-26.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,042 €3,620

$735 MX$13.8K

450.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

11.45

-70.31%

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

Last update for The Hague: 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

The Hague

$1.3K 48.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 71.4% $952

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$367 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.7% $230

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 43.9% $158

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$330 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 22.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$172 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35% $60

Getting Around

The Hague

$125 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.7% $75

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$79 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 14.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,708 in The Hague 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 in The Hague are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in The Hague versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

6 h behind The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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The Hague Playa del Carmen 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

The Hague
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

The Hague vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – The Hague is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,149 per month in The Hague 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,708 in The Hague.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,766 in The Hague and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 56% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 68% 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 $1,204, than in The Hague at $2,766. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in The Hague 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, The Hague makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.