Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Cristobal Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Cristobal

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 43.3% more expensive than San Cristobal without rent, and 86.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 68.6% more expensive than San Cristobal without rent, and 108.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$4.53 VES 1,927
161.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$29.66 VES 12.6K
42.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$10.70 VES 4,555
0.47%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$1.62 VES 691
114.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.82 VES 350
76.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.59 VES 253
52.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$1.25 VES 534
144.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$1.46 VES 622
202.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.32 VES 561
3.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.58 VES 674
18.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$0.90 VES 383
71.11%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.17 VES 922
15.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$4.76 VES 2,024
80.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$4.29 VES 1,825
101.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$5.94 VES 2,529
85.52%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$9.97 VES 4,245
-72.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$0.36 VES 153
297.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.23 VES 525
52.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.11 VES 472
95.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.07 VES 457
75.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$0.97 VES 414
131.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.48 VES 206
122.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$1.71 VES 730
-37.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$3.29 VES 1,400
26.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$5.97 VES 2,541
73.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$0.76 VES 322
121.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$1.18 VES 501
110.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.54 VES 232
1.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$24.64 VES 10.5K
7.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$2.44 VES 1,039
31.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$3.13 VES 1,332
-20.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$5.08 VES 2,161
-38.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$0.48 VES 205
162.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$29.6K VES 12.6M
3.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$34.3K VES 14.6M
-29.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$22.11 VES 9,410
273.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$5.96 VES 2,536
273.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$40.02 VES 17.0K
-24.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$15.23 VES 6,483
237.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$19.97 VES 8,501
-8.41%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$6.98 VES 2,973
-28.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$44.43 VES 18.9K
350.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
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👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$33.01 VES 14.0K
8.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$19.79 VES 8,424
99.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$95.2 VES 40.5K
-15.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$62.0 VES 26.4K
42.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$178 VES 75.8K
444.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$120 VES 51.1K
301.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$280 VES 119.0K
470.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$172 VES 73.3K
587.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$533 VES 227.0K
659.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$403 VES 171.7K
1517.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$197 VES 83.9K
283.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
0
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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 San Cristobal: March 2, 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

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