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 40.7% more expensive than San Cristobal without rent, and 93.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 13.5% more expensive than San Cristobal without rent, and 109.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$4.51 VES 2,172
157.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$29.85 VES 14.4K
43.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$10.85 VES 5,220
-2.30%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$1.69 VES 813
112.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.84 VES 406
72.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.64 VES 310
40.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.21 VES 581
150.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$1.48 VES 713
208.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.32 VES 635
9.85%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.51 VES 726
21.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$0.96 VES 464
67.71%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.15 VES 1,036
18.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$4.71 VES 2,264
81.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$4.23 VES 2,037
100.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$5.83 VES 2,806
86.28%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$9.90 VES 4,766
-72.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$0.38 VES 184
292.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.24 VES 596
56.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.14 VES 547
89.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.08 VES 520
71.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$0.94 VES 453
132.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.52 VES 249
105.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.78 VES 858
-39.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$3.33 VES 1,600
21.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$5.71 VES 2,749
83.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$0.75 VES 363
120.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.24 VES 596
105.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.51 VES 247
9.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$24.74 VES 11.9K
5.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$2.44 VES 1,175
28.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$3.15 VES 1,517
-24.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$5.13 VES 2,471
-36.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$0.51 VES 248
156.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$29.6K VES 14.2M
3.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$34.3K VES 16.5M
-30.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$22.59 VES 10.9K
268.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$5.84 VES 2,811
279.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$39.91 VES 19.2K
-26.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$15.26 VES 7,343
235.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$20.18 VES 9,713
-7.38%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$7.13 VES 3,430
-31.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$45.63 VES 22.0K
335.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
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👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$32.18 VES 15.5K
11.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$20.12 VES 9,682
95.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$96.5 VES 46.4K
-16.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$61.9 VES 29.8K
41.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$174 VES 83.8K
453.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$118 VES 56.7K
309.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$272 VES 130.8K
505.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$174 VES 83.9K
583.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$516 VES 248.3K
666.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$397 VES 190.9K
1541.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
San Cristobal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$198 VES 95.3K
266.88%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for San Cristobal: April 12, 2026

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

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