Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saint John Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $6,201 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $59,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
297

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
Learn more

Saint John Island Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Saint John Island

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Saint John Island actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,201 in Saint John Island, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Saint John Island $6,201

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $8,382 in Saint John Island, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Saint John Island $8,382

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $10.6K in Saint John Island, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Saint John Island $10.6K

Playa del Carmen is about 80% cheaper than Saint John Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Saint John Island is 363% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$69.9 $69.9

-84.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$150 $150

-70.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$15.14 $15.14

-21.27%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$9.16 $9.16

-58.52%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.08

$3.41 $3.41

-61.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$3.48 $3.48

-75.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$5.13 $5.13

-37.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$6.87 $6.87

-27.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$3.15 $3.15

-53.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$7.96 $7.96

-70.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$12.02 $12.02

-88.02%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$12.07 $12.07

-79.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$32.43 $32.43

-76.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$33.00 $33.00

-76.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$24.11 $24.11

-46.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$21.82 $21.82

-86.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$3.91 $3.91

-63.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$17.29 $17.29

-85.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$11.89 $11.89

-82.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$7.74 $7.74

-74.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$7.86 $7.86

-75.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$4.95 $4.95

-76.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$3.55 $3.55

-65.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$8.86 $8.86

-50.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$23.36 $23.36

-57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$4.58 $4.58

-66.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$6.17 $6.17

-55.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$7.15 $7.15

-92.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$149 $149

-81.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$30.31 $30.31

-83.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$50.2 $50.2

-88.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.56 $1.56

-1.28%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$47.1K $47.1K

-54.94%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$52.2K $52.2K

-53.11%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83.6 MX$1,535

$297 $297

-71.82%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.03 MX$441

$98.4 $98.4

-75.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$101 $101

-71.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$208 MX$3,813

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$80.4 $80.4

-44.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$49.69 $49.69

-15.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$84.9 $84.9

-10.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$100 $100

-9.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$4,020 $4,020

-75.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$3,511 $3,511

-89.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$5,081 $5,081

-66.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$4,566 $4,566

-75.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$4,412 $4,412

-82.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

63.57%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Saint John Island: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Saint John Island

$3.5K 57.3% 812% $3.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Saint John Island

$987 16.1% 279% $726

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Saint John Island

$781 12.8% 283% $577

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Saint John Island

$496 8.1% 262% $359

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Saint John Island

$142 2.3% 24.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Saint John Island

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Saint John Island

$208 * 3.4% 299% $156

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,020 in Saint John Island. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 482% higher in Saint John Island, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $150 in Saint John Island. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $987 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

07:45 7:45 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,170

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Saint John Island 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Saint John Island

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Saint John Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint John Island is pricier by about 410%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $9,302 in Saint John Island. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $6,201 in Saint John Island. That's a gap of about 410%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $150 in Saint John Island. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Saint John Island at $6,201. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John Island it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint John Island makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.