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Cost of Living Comparison Between Island Garden City of Samal and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Island Garden City of Samal and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Island Garden City of Samal is 42.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 43.1% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Island Garden City of Samal is 38.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 52.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Island Garden City of Samal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.35 โ‚ฑ80.2
$11.88 MX$210
-88.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.62 โ‚ฑ750
$41.90 MX$740
-69.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.64 โ‚ฑ276
$10.55 MX$186
-56.02%
Cappuccino
$2.13 โ‚ฑ126
$3.60 MX$63.5
-40.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 โ‚ฑ51.1
$1.50 MX$26.45
-42.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 โ‚ฑ29.50
$0.91 MX$16.09
-45.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.45 โ‚ฑ86.4
$3.08 MX$54.4
-52.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 โ‚ฑ104
$4.47 MX$78.8
-60.85%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Island Garden City of Samal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 โ‚ฑ71.6
$1.39 MX$24.54
-13.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.59 โ‚ฑ35.18
$1.90 MX$33.47
-68.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.69 โ‚ฑ40.91
$1.60 MX$28.27
-56.88%
Eggs
$2.01 โ‚ฑ120
$2.60 MX$45.97
-22.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.98 โ‚ฑ355
$8.36 MX$148
-28.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.23 โ‚ฑ192
$8.64 MX$152
-62.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.20 โ‚ฑ309
$10.91 MX$192
-52.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 โ‚ฑ169
$2.61 MX$45.98
9.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.13 โ‚ฑ67.1
$1.44 MX$25.46
-21.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 โ‚ฑ139
$1.96 MX$34.55
18.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 โ‚ฑ75.8
$2.12 MX$37.34
-40.09%
Potato (1kg)
$2.20 โ‚ฑ131
$1.86 MX$32.87
18.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 โ‚ฑ96.0
$2.22 MX$39.20
-27.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.93 โ‚ฑ55.3
$1.02 MX$17.99
-8.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 โ‚ฑ27.19
$1.04 MX$18.36
-55.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.68 โ‚ฑ159
$4.05 MX$71.5
-33.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.91 โ‚ฑ351
$10.18 MX$180
-41.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 โ‚ฑ76.2
$1.69 MX$29.79
-24.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 โ‚ฑ71.9
$2.62 MX$46.25
-53.82%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Island Garden City of Samal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 โ‚ฑ16.73
$0.51 MX$9.09
-45.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.52 MX$468
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 โ‚ฑ43.96
$3.15 MX$55.7
-76.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.08 โ‚ฑ4.75
$2.46 MX$43.49
-96.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.10 โ‚ฑ125
$3.26 MX$57.5
-35.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 โ‚ฑ64.9
$1.32 MX$23.36
-17.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K โ‚ฑ1.3M
$30.1K MX$531.0K
-27.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.2K โ‚ฑ1.3M
$23.8K MX$419.3K
-10.95%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Island Garden City of Samal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 โ‚ฑ6,034
$83.5 MX$1,474
21.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.24 โ‚ฑ1,975
$22.86 MX$404
45.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.03 โ‚ฑ2,142
$30.04 MX$530
19.94%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Island Garden City of Samal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.73 โ‚ฑ2,005
$51.9 MX$916
-35.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.56 โ‚ฑ271
$18.30 MX$323
-75.08%
Cinema Ticket
$4.31 โ‚ฑ256
$5.12 MX$90.4
-15.82%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Island Garden City of Samal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 โ‚ฑ7,185
$201 MX$3,541
-39.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,342 โ‚ฑ258.1K
$5,318 MX$93.9K
-18.35%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Island Garden City of Samal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.18 โ‚ฑ2,745
$35.73 MX$631
29.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.19 โ‚ฑ1,794
$40.27 MX$711
-25.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.8 โ‚ฑ4,565
$79.2 MX$1,398
-3.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.7 โ‚ฑ4,020
$89.3 MX$1,576
-24.22%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Island Garden City of Samal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$264 โ‚ฑ15.7K
$947 MX$16.7K
-72.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$176 โ‚ฑ10.5K
$483 MX$8,525
-63.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$598 โ‚ฑ35.6K
$1,599 MX$28.2K
-62.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$398 โ‚ฑ23.6K
$1,211 MX$21.4K
-67.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,310 โ‚ฑ137.3K
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-42.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$762 โ‚ฑ45.3K
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-88.11%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Island Garden City of Samal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$730 MX$12.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.56
11.42
-16.29%

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

Last update for Island Garden City of Samal: January 13, 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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