Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waipahu, HI and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,234 in Waipahu, HI, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Waipahu, HI
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Waipahu, HI Living Index
58

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

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Waipahu, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,234

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,234 per month in Waipahu, HI vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Waipahu, HI $3,234
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,991 per month in Waipahu, HI vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Waipahu, HI $4,991
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $6,748 per month in Waipahu, HI vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Waipahu, HI $6,748
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Waipahu, HI costs about 169% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Waipahu, HI sits 138% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.50 $27.50

$10.92 MX$203

151.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$141 $141

$43.37 MX$805

225.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.92 $14.92

$11.78 MX$219

26.66%

Cappuccino

$10.38 $10.38

$3.81 MX$70.7

172.44%

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

$4.95 $4.95

$1.28 MX$23.81

286.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$0.78 MX$14.54

347.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.59 $10.59

$3.17 MX$58.8

234.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.61 $11.61

$4.93 MX$91.7

135.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.41 MX$26.12

-27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.22 MX$41.17

61.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.96 $9.96

$1.42 MX$26.32

601.41%

Eggs

$7.47 $7.47

$2.52 MX$46.85

196.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$7.26 MX$135

70.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.02 $20.02

$7.70 MX$143

160.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.86 $21.86

$12.69 MX$236

72.26%

Apples (1kg)

$8.11 $8.11

$2.78 MX$51.7

191.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.37 MX$25.41

16.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.55 MX$47.37

179.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.73 $9.73

$2.12 MX$39.43

358.96%

Potato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.94 MX$36.00

150.52%

Onion (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.89 MX$35.02

157.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.15 MX$21.29

357.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.18 MX$21.89

167.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 $10.18

$4.30 MX$79.8

136.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.20 $18.20

$9.95 MX$185

82.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.58 MX$29.41

69.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 $5.61

$2.67 MX$49.60

110.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.55 MX$10.28

272.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$26.62 MX$494

127.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$4.97 MX$92.3

-30.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.33 MX$61.9

-19.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.50 $44.50

$5.36 MX$99.5

730.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.44 MX$26.82

-0.69%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

72.42%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

11.25%

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

$257 $257

$84.8 MX$1,575

202.57%

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

$67.1 $67.1

$23.41 MX$435

186.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.6 $65.6

$28.66 MX$532

128.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.68 $43.68

$57.1 MX$1,059

-23.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$19.66 $19.66

$5.14 MX$95.4

282.49%

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

$2,167 $2,167

$207 MX$3,836

948.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.7K $26.7K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

579.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.60 $44.60

$43.35 MX$805

2.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.71 $40.71

$41.44 MX$770

-1.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 $86.5

$74.2 MX$1,378

16.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$89.3 MX$1,657

46.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 $1,614

$980 MX$18.2K

64.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$381 MX$7,072

281.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$1,708 MX$31.7K

64.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,590 $2,590

$1,075 MX$20.0K

140.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-18.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,502 $2,502

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-59.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.45

-41.48%

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

Last update for Waipahu, HI: October 25, 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

Waipahu, HI

$1.5K 44.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 73.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Waipahu, HI

$590 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 56.8% $336

Eating Out

Waipahu, HI

$499 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 59.5% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waipahu, HI

$389 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 64.8% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Waipahu, HI

$136 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18% $24

Getting Around

Waipahu, HI

$86 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 41% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Waipahu, HI

$83 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 18.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Waipahu, HI 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $141 in Waipahu, HI versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $590 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waipahu, HI

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

23:18 11:18 PM

5 h ahead of Waipahu, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,894

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Waipahu, HI Playa del Carmen 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Waipahu, HI
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

Waipahu, HI vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waipahu, HI is pricier by about 169%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,852 per month in Waipahu, HI 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 $1,614 in Waipahu, HI.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,234 in Waipahu, HI and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 63% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 56% 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 Waipahu, HI at $3,234. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waipahu, HI 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 63% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.