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 40.4% more expensive than Samana without rent, and 55.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 43.3% more expensive than Samana without rent, and 64.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$4.27 DOP 255
177.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$36.03 DOP 2,151
17.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$7.37 DOP 440
45.86%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$1.72 DOP 103
101.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.72 DOP 43.12
101.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.80 DOP 47.67
12.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.50 DOP 149
22.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$4.20 DOP 251
5.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.35 DOP 80.6
1.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$0.87 DOP 52.0
114.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$0.88 DOP 52.5
75.00%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$2.01 DOP 120
24.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$6.32 DOP 377
36.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$5.41 DOP 323
59.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$8.48 DOP 506
29.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$3.01 DOP 180
-8.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$0.86 DOP 51.6
66.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.34 DOP 80.1
39.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.57 DOP 94.0
38.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.75 DOP 104
7.43%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.68 DOP 100
33.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.53 DOP 31.87
101.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.71 DOP 42.12
50.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$4.26 DOP 254
-2.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$8.47 DOP 506
22.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$2.60 DOP 155
-35.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.95 DOP 176
-15.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.81 DOP 48.44
-32.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$3.37 DOP 202
-4.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$1.03 DOP 61.4
140.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$5.91 DOP 353
-47.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.24 DOP 73.8
1.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$26.2K DOP 1.6M
16.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$32.3K DOP 1.9M
-25.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$50.7 DOP 3,025
62.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$17.20 DOP 1,027
29.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$35.51 DOP 2,121
-15.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$6.88 DOP 411
-27.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$262 DOP 15.7K
-23.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$8,013 DOP 478.5K
-33.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$61.1 DOP 3,651
-41.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$51.5 DOP 3,076
-23.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$96.9 DOP 5,785
-16.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$114 DOP 6,779
-22.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$306 DOP 18.3K
216.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$252 DOP 15.1K
91.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$736 DOP 44.0K
116.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$539 DOP 32.2K
119.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Samana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Samana: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities