Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saint Lucia
For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,360 in Saint Lucia, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Saint Lucia despite lower rent and utilities.
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Playa del Carmen Living Index60Cost of Living Index in Playa del CarmenLearn more -
Saint Lucia Living Index67Cost of Living Index in Saint LuciaLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 15.2% cheaper than Saint Lucia without rent, and 10.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 26% cheaper than Saint Lucia without rent, and 0.3% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Saint Lucia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$8.06 EC$21.77
36.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$74.7 EC$202
-39.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$9.37 EC$25.29
27.21%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$3.94 EC$10.63
-3.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$1.43 EC$3.86
-8.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$1.01 EC$2.72
-14.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$2.89 EC$7.79
11.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$3.26 EC$8.79
53.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Saint Lucia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$2.19 EC$5.92
-33.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$1.68 EC$4.53
38.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$1.68 EC$4.54
-14.29%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$4.91 EC$13.25
-49.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$11.47 EC$30.98
-32.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$11.33 EC$30.60
-30.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$14.89 EC$40.21
-14.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$7.74 EC$20.90
-62.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$1.83 EC$4.94
-22.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$5.08 EC$13.72
-49.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$8.59 EC$23.21
-75.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
$3.49 EC$9.43
-44.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
$2.07 EC$5.59
-6.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
$3.02 EC$8.16
-61.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
$1.34 EC$3.62
-8.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
$7.47 EC$20.18
-41.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
$12.02 EC$32.44
-18.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
$2.21 EC$5.96
-30.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
$5.12 EC$13.82
-46.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Saint Lucia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$1.13 EC$3.05
-53.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
$9.28 EC$25.04
-47.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$1.58 EC$4.27
-2.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
$29.1K EC$78.6K
-27.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
$40.9K EC$110.5K
-40.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Saint Lucia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$130 EC$350
-35.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$40.65 EC$110
-40.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$45.35 EC$122
-35.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Saint Lucia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$52.6 EC$142
23.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
$6.74 EC$18.19
-24.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Saint Lucia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
$215 EC$581
-3.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Saint Lucia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$63.7 EC$172
-30.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
$53.4 EC$144
-21.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
$109 EC$296
-31.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
$110 EC$296
-16.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Saint Lucia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$509 EC$1,373
93.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$355 EC$958
8.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$1,070 EC$2,889
60.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$687 EC$1,855
61.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$142 EC$383
2733.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$163 EC$439
3742.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Saint Lucia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$768 EC$2,073
-1.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
7.75
47.74%
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 Lucia: October 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen $385 31.4%
Saint Lucia $355 25.8% 7.9% $30
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen $260 21.2%
Saint Lucia $402 29.3% 54.4% $142
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen $204 16.6%
Saint Lucia $171 12.4% 16.4% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen $137 11.2%
Saint Lucia $216 15.7% 57.4% $79
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen $114 9.3%
Saint Lucia $151 11% 32.6% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen $75 6.1%
Saint Lucia $66 4.8% 11.9% $8.9
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen $52 4.2%
Saint Lucia $14 * 1% 73.5% $38
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen $1.1K 36.5%
Saint Lucia $687 22.2% 38% $421
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen $602 19.8%
Saint Lucia $941 30.4% 56.3% $339
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen $631 20.8%
Saint Lucia $711 23% 12.6% $79
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen $161 5.3%
Saint Lucia $256 8.3% 59.2% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen $254 8.3%
Saint Lucia $336 10.9% 32.6% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen $180 5.9%
Saint Lucia $132 * 4.3% 26.4% $47
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen $105 3.5%
Saint Lucia $30 * 1% 71.6% $75
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia
Weather
Population
149,923
167,591
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Playa del Carmen Saint Lucia 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
- Playa del Carmen
- Saint Lucia
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,351
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Krakow
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,811
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,203
/mo nomad
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