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 37% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 158.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: El Cajon, CA is 91.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 126.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.68 $19.68
$11.99 MX$227
64.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.6 $79.6
$42.47 MX$803
87.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.09 $15.09
$10.47 MX$198
44.13%
Cappuccino
$5.17 $5.17
$3.6 MX$68.2
43.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 $3.02
$1.44 MX$27.16
109.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 $2.55
$0.89 MX$16.79
186.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.13 $7.13
$3.09 MX$58.5
130.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.07 $8.07
$4.58 MX$86.6
76.20%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 $1.16
$1.38 MX$26.04
-15.94%
White Bread (500g)
$4.3 $4.3
$1.85 MX$34.9
132.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.44 $4.44
$1.57 MX$29.68
182.80%
Eggs
$3.9 $3.9
$2.55 MX$48.3
52.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.55 $13.55
$8.61 MX$163
57.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.95 $15.95
$8.54 MX$161
86.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.72 $15.72
$10.98 MX$208
43.17%
Apples (1kg)
$4.44 $4.44
$2.72 MX$51.4
63.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.51 MX$28.57
13.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.91 $3.91
$1.88 MX$35.63
107.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.77 $4.77
$2.19 MX$41.42
117.81%
Potato (1kg)
$3.08 $3.08
$1.87 MX$35.3
64.71%
Onion (1kg)
$2.37 $2.37
$2.19 MX$41.37
8.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.1 $2.1
$1.07 MX$20.23
96.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.37 $2.37
$1.09 MX$20.64
117.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.06 $12.06
$3.96 MX$74.9
204.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.29 $15.29
$8.86 MX$167
72.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 $1.81
$1.72 MX$32.53
5.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 $2.55
$2.61 MX$49.37
-2.30%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.93 $1.93
$0.52 MX$9.74
271.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.92 $2.92
$3.24 MX$61.2
-9.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.72 $1.72
$2.38 MX$44.94
-27.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.43 $28.43
$3.11 MX$58.7
814.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 $1.25
$1.31 MX$24.85
-4.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.3K $25.3K
$30.3K MX$573K
-16.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5K $27.5K
$24K MX$453.6K
14.43%
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
$84.2 MX$1,592
84.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.9 $54.9
$22.14 MX$419
148.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.1 $71.1
$30.14 MX$570
136.00%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.44 $43.44
$52 MX$983
-16.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.29 $15.29
$5.07 MX$95.9
201.58%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,500 $1,500
$200 MX$3,787
648.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.9K $28.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
441.75%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.79 $46.79
$35.74 MX$676
30.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.14 $33.14
$39.8 MX$753
-16.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.6 $99.6
$79 MX$1,493
26.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 $101
$88.4 MX$1,671
14.19%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,428 $2,428
$965 MX$18.3K
151.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,939 $1,939
$474 MX$8,968
308.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,953 $2,953
$1,653 MX$31.2K
78.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,029 $4,029
$1,202 MX$22.7K
235.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,755 $2,755
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-10.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,148 $2,148
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-71.47%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
El Cajon, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,070 $4,070
$792 MX$15K
414.02%
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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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