Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Andres Tuxtla

For one person, living is cheaper in San Andres Tuxtla: $1,127 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in San Andres Tuxtla
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San Andres Tuxtla Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

San Andres Tuxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in San Andres Tuxtla

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 San Andres Tuxtla actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,127 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
San Andres Tuxtla $1,127

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,824 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
San Andres Tuxtla $1,824

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,520 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
San Andres Tuxtla $2,520

Playa del Carmen costs about 7% more than San Andres Tuxtla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and San Andres Tuxtla are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, San Andres Tuxtla 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$10.92 MX$202

-0.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$44.29 MX$818

-0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.41 MX$155

39.83%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.49 MX$64.5

5.44%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.35 MX$24.97

-0.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.01 MX$18.67

-18.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.50 MX$46.20

22.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.06 MX$75.1

21.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.60 MX$29.63

-8.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.55 MX$47.07

-12.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.65 MX$30.52

-10.30%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.43 MX$44.96

2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.15 MX$151

-7.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.45 MX$156

-5.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.40 MX$211

10.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.66 MX$49.19

4.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.53 MX$28.28

-6.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.94 MX$35.83

35.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.82 MX$33.65

17.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.94 MX$35.77

4.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.89 MX$34.85

5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.41 MX$26.08

-19.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.10 MX$20.27

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.39 MX$192

-3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.81 MX$33.36

-14.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.07 MX$56.7

-13.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.63 MX$11.69

-15.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.57 MX$47.55

90.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.01 MX$37.20

70.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$10.99 MX$203

-51.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.43 MX$26.35

1.40%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.2K MX$392.4K

-0.36%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$24.4K MX$450.1K

-5.50%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$58.0 MX$1,071

47.25%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$22.77 MX$421

3.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$29.98 MX$554

-5.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$33.68 MX$622

84.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$20.16 MX$373

42.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.18 MX$95.8

-1.54%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$220 MX$4,062

-8.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$4,549 MX$84.1K

-13.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$55.6 MX$1,028

-20.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$40.46 MX$748

2.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$101 MX$1,871

-28.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$89.6 MX$1,655

0.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$598 MX$11.0K

63.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$381 MX$7,049

-2.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,033 MX$19.1K

62.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$763 MX$14.1K

43.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,951 MX$36.1K

102.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,163 MX$21.5K

427.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.3

1.33%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Andres Tuxtla: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

San Andres Tuxtla

$381 33.8% 2.3% $8.7

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

San Andres Tuxtla

$262 23.3% 1.6% $4.1

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

San Andres Tuxtla

$184 16.4% 7.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

San Andres Tuxtla

$111 9.8% 19.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

San Andres Tuxtla

$129 11.5% 15.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

San Andres Tuxtla

$44 3.9% 39.2% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

San Andres Tuxtla

$15 * 1.4% 70.7% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $598 in San Andres Tuxtla. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $44.00 in San Andres Tuxtla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $262 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 San Andres Tuxtla

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

07:17 7:17 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

61,719

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Andres Tuxtla 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Andres Tuxtla

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 San Andres Tuxtla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,691 in San Andres Tuxtla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Andres Tuxtla, 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,127 in San Andres Tuxtla. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $220 in San Andres Tuxtla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Andres Tuxtla, where all-in costs run around $1,127, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In San Andres Tuxtla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Andres Tuxtla – 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 San Andres Tuxtla. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.