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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 68.9% more expensive than Samana without rent, and 51.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 23.3% more expensive than Samana without rent, and 63.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$4.32 DOP 254
177.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$36.11 DOP 2,126
17.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$7.25 DOP 427
44.41%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.73 DOP 102
108.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.77 DOP 45.58
87.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.8 DOP 46.85
11.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.49 DOP 146
24.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$4.31 DOP 253
6.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.33 DOP 78.1
3.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.88 DOP 51.6
110.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$0.88 DOP 51.7
78.41%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2 DOP 118
27.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$6.07 DOP 358
41.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$5.2 DOP 306
64.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$8.67 DOP 510
26.64%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3 DOP 177
-9.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.91 DOP 53.6
65.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.38 DOP 81.5
36.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.66 DOP 97.6
31.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.73 DOP 102
8.09%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.69 DOP 99.5
29.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.48 DOP 28.55
122.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.69 DOP 40.91
57.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.13 DOP 243
-4.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$7.48 DOP 441
18.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.61 DOP 154
-34.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.89 DOP 170
-9.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.84 DOP 49.4
-38.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$3.43 DOP 202
-5.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.06 DOP 62.4
124.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$6.05 DOP 356
-48.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.22 DOP 72.1
7.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$26.4K DOP 1.6M
14.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$31.1K DOP 1.8M
-22.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$50.6 DOP 2,981
66.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$16.89 DOP 995
31.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$35.82 DOP 2,109
-15.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$6.72 DOP 396
-24.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$269 DOP 15.8K
-25.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$7,991 DOP 470.4K
-33.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$60 DOP 3,533
-40.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$51.1 DOP 3,008
-22.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$96.7 DOP 5,693
-18.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$114 DOP 6,713
-22.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$313 DOP 18.4K
208.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$257 DOP 15.1K
84.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$748 DOP 44K
121.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$531 DOP 31.3K
126.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,353 DOP 79.7K
127.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,032 DOP 60.8K
629.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$302 DOP 17.8K
162.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
12.9
-11.47%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Samana: October 28, 2025

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