Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Cristobal de las Casas Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Cristobal de las Casas

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 13.6% more expensive than San Cristobal de las Casas without rent, and 42.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 21.3% more expensive than San Cristobal de las Casas without rent, and 59.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal de las Casas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$5.24 MX$92.4
126.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$26.88 MX$474
56.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$5.99 MX$106
79.47%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.36 MX$41.68
47.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$1.63 MX$28.79
-11.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$1.03 MX$18.17
-12.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$2.34 MX$41.31
30.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$4.84 MX$85.5
-8.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal de las Casas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.38 MX$24.28
-0.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$2.99 MX$52.7
-37.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.53 MX$27.01
0.65%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$3.45 MX$60.8
-27.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$7.01 MX$124
22.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$4.01 MX$70.7
115.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$6.90 MX$122
59.71%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$3.21 MX$56.7
-14.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$2.00 MX$35.24
-28.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.76 MX$31.11
6.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.39 MX$24.61
56.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.64 MX$28.98
14.63%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.45 MX$25.56
55.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$1.39 MX$24.53
-23.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$1.29 MX$22.70
-17.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$1.90 MX$33.54
118.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$11.13 MX$196
-7.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.93 MX$34.03
-12.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.25 MX$39.76
10.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal de las Casas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.52 MX$9.11
5.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$26.30 MX$464
0.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$2.66 MX$46.93
21.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$2.41 MX$42.58
2.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$8.16 MX$144
-61.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.29 MX$22.69
-2.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$15.8K MX$279.2K
93.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$22.1K MX$389.7K
8.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal de las Casas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$33.28 MX$587
147.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$19.33 MX$341
15.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$19.83 MX$350
51.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal de las Casas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$22.03 MX$389
133.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$15.58 MX$275
17.39%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$6.51 MX$115
-23.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal de las Casas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$197 MX$3,480
1.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$2,553 MX$45.1K
107.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal de las Casas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$26.08 MX$460
36.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$31.78 MX$561
24.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$81.8 MX$1,443
-1.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$51.4 MX$907
71.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal de las Casas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$428 MX$7,547
126.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$307 MX$5,419
57.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$853 MX$15.1K
87.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$518 MX$9,148
128.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$1,997 MX$35.2K
102.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$1,254 MX$22.1K
420.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal de las Casas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$434 MX$7,666
74.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10.33
10.55%

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 de las Casas: 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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