Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Willemstad and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,022 in Willemstad, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Willemstad
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Willemstad Living Index
60

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

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Willemstad

🇨🇼 Curacao

$2,022

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,022 per month in Willemstad vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Willemstad $2,022
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $3,076 per month in Willemstad vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Willemstad $3,076
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $4,130 per month in Willemstad vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Willemstad $4,130
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Willemstad costs about 66% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Willemstad sits 51% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 ANG 32.83

$10.97 MX$201

67.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 ANG 135

$44.85 MX$823

68.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 ANG 20.29

$11.92 MX$219

-4.95%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ANG 6.46

$3.80 MX$69.9

-5.00%

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

$3.01 ANG 5.39

$1.31 MX$24.08

129.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ANG 3.22

$0.86 MX$15.72

109.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 ANG 9.96

$3.21 MX$59.0

73.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 ANG 9.75

$5.01 MX$92.0

8.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ANG 3.51

$1.46 MX$26.77

34.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 ANG 5.08

$2.33 MX$42.72

21.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 ANG 6.39

$1.44 MX$26.48

147.92%

Eggs

$4.21 ANG 7.53

$2.46 MX$45.20

71.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.87 ANG 30.19

$7.70 MX$141

119.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.04 ANG 12.60

$7.89 MX$145

-10.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 ANG 21.70

$12.80 MX$235

-5.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 ANG 9.66

$2.92 MX$53.6

84.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 ANG 5.58

$1.42 MX$26.11

119.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 ANG 5.89

$2.57 MX$47.10

28.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 ANG 6.79

$2.14 MX$39.24

77.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ANG 4.47

$1.95 MX$35.75

28.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 ANG 3.49

$1.94 MX$35.55

0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 ANG 4.29

$1.15 MX$21.13

107.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ANG 5.10

$1.22 MX$22.42

133.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 ANG 17.93

$4.38 MX$80.3

128.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.48 ANG 22.33

$9.85 MX$181

26.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ANG 4.29

$1.54 MX$28.23

55.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ANG 4.20

$2.72 MX$49.86

-13.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 ANG 3.44

$0.52 MX$9.64

269.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 ANG 39.68

$4.91 MX$90.2

351.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ANG 2.47

$1.54 MX$28.27

-10.39%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

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

$20.6K ANG 36.9K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

-15.85%

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

$271 ANG 486

$83.6 MX$1,535

224.46%

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

$76.8 ANG 138

$24.03 MX$441

219.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 ANG 117

$29.33 MX$539

121.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.55 ANG 86.9

$64.9 MX$1,191

-25.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.82 ANG 78.4

$29.46 MX$541

48.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 ANG 21.41

$5.09 MX$93.4

134.97%

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

$323 ANG 578

$208 MX$3,813

55.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ANG 22.2K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

206.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ANG 185

$44.55 MX$818

131.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.7 ANG 134

$42.06 MX$772

77.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$160 ANG 287

$75.5 MX$1,387

111.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 ANG 167

$91.4 MX$1,678

1.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ANG 1,450

$986 MX$18.1K

-17.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 ANG 1,151

$385 MX$7,072

66.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 ANG 3,119

$1,713 MX$31.5K

1.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 ANG 2,186

$1,108 MX$20.4K

10.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$838 ANG 1,500

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-79.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$170 ANG 305

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-97.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,279 ANG 2,289

$758 MX$13.9K

68.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.97

11.45

-56.59%

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

Last update for Willemstad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Willemstad

$643 32%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 40.1% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Willemstad

$413 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 66.8% $276

Groceries & Markets

Willemstad

$376 18.7%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 30.7% $116

Eating Out

Willemstad

$282 14%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 27.7% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Willemstad

$194 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 41.2% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Willemstad

$72 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 3.5% $2.6

Getting Around

Willemstad

$30 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 74.3% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $810 in Willemstad versus $986 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 69% higher in Willemstad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Willemstad versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇼 Willemstad

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

1 h behind Willemstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.498 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.498 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Willemstad Playa del Carmen 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Willemstad
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

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

Yes – Willemstad is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,033 per month in Willemstad and $1,823 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 $2,022 in Willemstad and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 66%.

Kindergarten costs $323 per month in Willemstad and $208 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Willemstad at $2,022. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Willemstad 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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