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Cost of Living Comparison Between El Cajon, CA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between El Cajon, CA and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: El Cajon, CA is 20.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 161.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: El Cajon, CA is 54.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 118.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.64 $19.64
$11.88 MX$210
65.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.0 $79.0
$41.90 MX$740
88.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.16 $15.16
$10.55 MX$186
43.70%
Cappuccino
$5.19 $5.19
$3.60 MX$63.5
44.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 $3.04
$1.50 MX$26.45
102.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 $2.59
$0.91 MX$16.09
184.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.36 $7.36
$3.08 MX$54.4
138.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.82 $7.82
$4.47 MX$78.8
74.94%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 $1.14
$1.39 MX$24.54
-17.99%
White Bread (500g)
$4.17 $4.17
$1.90 MX$33.47
119.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.31 $4.31
$1.60 MX$28.27
169.37%
Eggs
$3.72 $3.72
$2.60 MX$45.97
43.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.24 $13.24
$8.36 MX$148
58.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.51 $16.51
$8.64 MX$152
91.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.35 $15.35
$10.91 MX$192
40.70%
Apples (1kg)
$4.52 $4.52
$2.61 MX$45.98
73.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 $1.68
$1.44 MX$25.46
16.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.87 $3.87
$1.96 MX$34.55
97.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.66 $4.66
$2.12 MX$37.34
119.81%
Potato (1kg)
$3.06 $3.06
$1.86 MX$32.87
64.52%
Onion (1kg)
$2.35 $2.35
$2.22 MX$39.20
5.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.02 MX$17.99
97.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.49 $2.49
$1.04 MX$18.36
139.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.79 $11.79
$4.05 MX$71.5
191.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.82 $14.82
$10.18 MX$180
45.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 $1.74
$1.69 MX$29.79
2.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 $2.56
$2.62 MX$46.25
-2.29%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.93 $1.93
$0.51 MX$9.09
278.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.52 MX$468
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 $3.09
$3.15 MX$55.7
-1.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.72 $1.72
$2.46 MX$43.49
-30.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.55 $27.55
$3.26 MX$57.5
745.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.32 MX$23.36
-6.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.9K $25.9K
$30.1K MX$531.0K
-13.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K $27.2K
$23.8K MX$419.3K
14.32%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 $155
$83.5 MX$1,474
85.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.9 $52.9
$22.86 MX$404
131.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.3 $70.3
$30.04 MX$530
134.15%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 $43.70
$51.9 MX$916
-15.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.30 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.21 $15.21
$5.12 MX$90.4
197.07%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,516 $1,516
$201 MX$3,541
655.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.4K $28.4K
$5,318 MX$93.9K
434.67%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.28 $48.28
$35.73 MX$631
35.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.39 $34.39
$40.27 MX$711
-14.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 $101
$79.2 MX$1,398
27.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 $104
$89.3 MX$1,576
15.95%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,406 $2,406
$947 MX$16.7K
154.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,943 $1,943
$483 MX$8,525
302.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,889 $2,889
$1,599 MX$28.2K
80.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,017 $4,017
$1,211 MX$21.4K
231.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,883 $3,883
$730 MX$12.9K
432.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.39
11.42
-44.05%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for El Cajon, CA: January 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 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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