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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 86.2% more expensive than Island Garden City of Samal without rent, and 79.7% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 41.1% more expensive than Island Garden City of Samal without rent, and 112.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$1.3 โ‚ฑ72.6
822.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$12.33 โ‚ฑ687
244.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.68 โ‚ฑ261
123.72%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.1 โ‚ฑ117
71.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.88 โ‚ฑ49.1
63.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.53 โ‚ฑ29.47
67.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.45 โ‚ฑ80.7
113.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$1.79 โ‚ฑ99.6
155.87%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.23 โ‚ฑ68.4
12.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.6 โ‚ฑ33.49
208.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$0.68 โ‚ฑ37.65
130.88%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.99 โ‚ฑ111
28.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$5.97 โ‚ฑ332
44.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$3.22 โ‚ฑ179
165.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$5.18 โ‚ฑ288
111.97%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.83 โ‚ฑ158
-3.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.17 โ‚ฑ65.3
29.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.38 โ‚ฑ133
-21.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.21 โ‚ฑ67.4
80.99%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.18 โ‚ฑ121
-14.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.55 โ‚ฑ86.6
41.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.92 โ‚ฑ51.3
16.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.49 โ‚ฑ27.49
122.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.6 โ‚ฑ145
52.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$4.19 โ‚ฑ233
111.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.31 โ‚ฑ72.8
31.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.23 โ‚ฑ68.4
112.20%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.26 โ‚ฑ14.47
100.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.72 โ‚ฑ40.13
350.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.1 โ‚ฑ5.49
2280.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$2.16 โ‚ฑ120
43.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.14 โ‚ฑ63.7
14.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$22.5K โ‚ฑ1.3M
34.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$21K โ‚ฑ1.2M
14.43%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$98.7 โ‚ฑ5,498
-14.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$33.59 โ‚ฑ1,870
-34.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$35.58 โ‚ฑ1,981
-15.29%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$34.52 โ‚ฑ1,922
50.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$4.47 โ‚ฑ249
13.42%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$119 โ‚ฑ6,651
67.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$4,340 โ‚ฑ241.6K
22.88%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$46.14 โ‚ฑ2,569
-22.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$30.33 โ‚ฑ1,689
31.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$76.2 โ‚ฑ4,244
3.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$68.3 โ‚ฑ3,803
29.37%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$263 โ‚ฑ14.6K
267.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$179 โ‚ฑ9,981
164.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$582 โ‚ฑ32.4K
184.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$393 โ‚ฑ21.9K
206.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,413 โ‚ฑ134.3K
27.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Island Garden City of Samal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
9.56
19.46%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Island Garden City of Samal: October 26, 2025

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