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

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 21.2% cheaper than Castries without rent, and 9.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 41.1% cheaper than Castries without rent, and 1.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Castries
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$7.54 EC$20.36
53.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$74.7 EC$202
-42.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$7.35 EC$19.84
44.22%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$3.80 EC$10.25
-5.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$1.13 EC$3.06
28.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$1.01 EC$2.74
-10.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.55 EC$6.88
18.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$3.34 EC$9.02
36.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Castries
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$2.17 EC$5.86
-33.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.64 EC$4.43
11.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.68 EC$4.54
-4.17%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$4.29 EC$11.58
-40.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$11.42 EC$30.84
-25.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$9.95 EC$26.86
-14.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$10.01 EC$27.03
8.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$7.66 EC$20.70
-64.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.69 EC$4.55
-11.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$6.34 EC$17.11
-69.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$9.16 EC$24.72
-76.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$3.30 EC$8.92
-43.94%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.69 EC$4.55
29.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$2.18 EC$5.88
-50.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.08 EC$2.90
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$9.14 EC$24.68
-55.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$11.03 EC$29.78
-5.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$2.08 EC$5.62
-20.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$4.44 EC$11.99
-42.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Castries
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$1.10 EC$2.96
-49.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$9.06 EC$24.46
-65.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$18.39 EC$49.64
-82.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.53 EC$4.13
-14.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$28.3K EC$76.3K
8.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$26.7K EC$72.1K
-10.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Castries
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$105 EC$282
-20.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$88.7 EC$239
-75.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$43.39 EC$117
-32.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Castries
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$42.32 EC$114
20.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$6.62 EC$17.88
-26.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Castries
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$195 EC$527
1.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Castries
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$80.4 EC$217
-55.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$52.5 EC$142
-25.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$106 EC$286
-24.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$110 EC$298
-20.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Castries
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$598 EC$1,614
61.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$395 EC$1,067
22.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$977 EC$2,637
68.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$713 EC$1,924
67.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$101 EC$273
3820.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$62.8 EC$169
10276.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Castries
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$854 EC$2,305
-14.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
7.75
47.35%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Castries: April 13, 2026

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

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities