Cost of Living Comparison Between Castries and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Castries and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Castries is 13.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Castries is 20.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 0.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Castries
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.44 EC$20.10
$11.85 MX$209
-37.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.9 EC$202
$42.16 MX$744
77.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.20 EC$19.43
$10.75 MX$190
-33.02%
Cappuccino
$3.76 EC$10.16
$3.47 MX$61.3
8.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 EC$2.95
$1.45 MX$25.65
-24.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 EC$2.56
$0.90 MX$15.93
5.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.61 EC$7.04
$3.05 MX$53.9
-14.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 EC$8.95
$4.42 MX$77.9
-25.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Castries
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 EC$5.75
$1.37 MX$24.17
55.47%
White Bread (500g)
$1.70 EC$4.59
$1.87 MX$33.05
-9.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 EC$4.53
$1.54 MX$27.25
9.09%
Eggs
$4.31 EC$11.63
$2.50 MX$44.18
72.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.06 EC$29.85
$8.61 MX$152
28.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.55 EC$25.78
$8.63 MX$152
10.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.26 EC$27.71
$11.02 MX$195
-6.90%
Apples (1kg)
$7.67 EC$20.72
$2.75 MX$48.53
178.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 EC$4.45
$1.43 MX$25.21
15.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.36 EC$17.18
$1.87 MX$33.05
240.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$9.12 EC$24.62
$2.17 MX$38.26
320.28%
Potato (1kg)
$3.31 EC$8.94
$1.88 MX$33.23
76.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 EC$4.57
$2.25 MX$39.65
-24.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 EC$5.79
$1.07 MX$18.85
100.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 EC$2.81
$1.07 MX$18.95
-2.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.01 EC$24.33
$4.15 MX$73.3
117.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.29 EC$30.49
$10.34 MX$182
9.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 EC$5.95
$1.68 MX$29.64
30.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 EC$11.83
$2.48 MX$43.84
76.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Castries
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 EC$3.04
$0.55 MX$9.80
103.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$468
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.14 EC$24.69
$3.22 MX$56.8
183.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.48 MX$43.80
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.81 EC$50.8
$3.11 MX$54.9
504.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.56 EC$4.22
$1.26 MX$22.16
23.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K EC$78.4K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-5.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.7K EC$74.7K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
15.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Castries
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$107 EC$289
$82.5 MX$1,456
29.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$87.5 EC$236
$22.29 MX$393
292.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.40 EC$117
$30.02 MX$530
44.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Castries
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.45 EC$115
$51.4 MX$908
-17.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.82 EC$18.42
$4.98 MX$88.0
36.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Castries
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 EC$542
$200 MX$3,530
0.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,304 MX$93.6K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Castries
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.8 EC$210
$35.71 MX$630
117.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.2 EC$141
$39.56 MX$698
31.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 EC$279
$80.6 MX$1,422
28.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 EC$298
$88.3 MX$1,559
24.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Castries
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$590 EC$1,593
$969 MX$17.1K
-39.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$397 EC$1,073
$482 MX$8,511
-17.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$990 EC$2,674
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-37.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$714 EC$1,926
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-39.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$98.4 EC$266
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-97.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$62.7 EC$169
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-99.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Castries
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$879 EC$2,372
$756 MX$13.4K
16.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.75
11.42
-32.14%

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

Last update for Castries: March 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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