Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sa Pa Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sa Pa

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 83% more expensive than Sa Pa without rent, and 70.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 48.4% more expensive than Sa Pa without rent, and 91% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Sa Pa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$1.89 โ‚ซ49.7K
514.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$21.47 โ‚ซ563.8K
99.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$4.60 โ‚ซ120.9K
130.43%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$1.72 โ‚ซ45.2K
108.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.47 โ‚ซ12.2K
208.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.28 โ‚ซ7,246
221.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$0.92 โ‚ซ24.1K
229.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$1.55 โ‚ซ40.8K
194.19%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Sa Pa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.38 โ‚ซ36.3K
5.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$0.96 โ‚ซ25.3K
90.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$0.93 โ‚ซ24.4K
73.12%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$1.41 โ‚ซ37.1K
80.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$11.87 โ‚ซ311.7K
-28.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$3.67 โ‚ซ96.3K
130.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$9.82 โ‚ซ257.8K
10.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.69 โ‚ซ70.7K
1.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.03 โ‚ซ27.0K
44.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.35 โ‚ซ35.4K
43.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.07 โ‚ซ28.1K
101.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.07 โ‚ซ28.2K
72.90%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.02 โ‚ซ26.7K
114.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.68 โ‚ซ17.9K
57.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.52 โ‚ซ13.8K
107.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$1.30 โ‚ซ34.3K
212.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$11.32 โ‚ซ297.2K
-7.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$0.78 โ‚ซ20.5K
111.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.61 โ‚ซ42.2K
58.39%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Sa Pa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.32 โ‚ซ8,357
75.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$6.39 โ‚ซ167.8K
310.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$0.71 โ‚ซ18.7K
342.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.66 โ‚ซ17.4K
259.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$2.82 โ‚ซ74.0K
14.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$0.91 โ‚ซ23.9K
43.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$34.9K โ‚ซ917.5M
-12.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$32.0K โ‚ซ840.0M
-25.54%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Sa Pa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$73.8 โ‚ซ1.9M
12.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$5.72 โ‚ซ150.2K
287.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$8.56 โ‚ซ224.6K
243.11%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Sa Pa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$22.28 โ‚ซ585.0K
129.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$7.65 โ‚ซ200.8K
144.31%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$3.16 โ‚ซ82.9K
54.75%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Sa Pa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$264 โ‚ซ6.9M
-24.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$11.4K โ‚ซ300.1M
-54.44%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Sa Pa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$40.36 โ‚ซ1.1M
-10.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$23.27 โ‚ซ611.1K
69.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$85.9 โ‚ซ2.3M
-6.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$73.4 โ‚ซ1.9M
19.31%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Sa Pa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$359 โ‚ซ9.4M
168.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$251 โ‚ซ6.6M
92.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$732 โ‚ซ19.2M
124.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$546 โ‚ซ14.3M
118.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$2,089 โ‚ซ54.8M
89.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$1,229 โ‚ซ32.3M
429.93%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Sa Pa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
9.1
25.49%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Sa Pa: April 11, 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