Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Fernando, Mexico

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $1,140 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

San Fernando

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Fernando actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,140 in San Fernando, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
San Fernando $1,140

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,826 in San Fernando, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Fernando $1,826

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,511 in San Fernando, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
San Fernando $2,511

Playa del Carmen costs about 6% more than San Fernando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and San Fernando are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, San Fernando 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$9.16 MX$170

19.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$37.49 MX$696

15.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$8.41 MX$156

40.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$3.99 MX$74.0

-4.51%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$1.32 MX$24.49

-3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$1.00 MX$18.58

-22.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$2.24 MX$41.64

41.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$3.74 MX$69.5

31.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.73 MX$32.07

-18.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$2.23 MX$41.41

-0.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.90 MX$35.20

-25.26%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$2.56 MX$47.48

-1.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.94 MX$129

4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.85 MX$146

-1.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.96 MX$222

6.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$3.01 MX$55.9

-7.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.72 MX$31.87

-20.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$2.11 MX$39.14

20.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.54 MX$28.51

37.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$2.18 MX$40.50

-11.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.83 MX$33.97

3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.52 MX$28.26

-24.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$1.08 MX$20.01

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$4.21 MX$78.1

2.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$9.40 MX$175

5.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.88 MX$34.97

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$3.27 MX$60.8

-18.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.72 MX$13.44

-23.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$30.05 MX$558

-11.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$2.53 MX$46.94

96.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$1.71 MX$31.78

94.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$12.21 MX$227

-56.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.41 MX$26.14

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$22.8K MX$423.1K

-9.29%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$21.8K MX$405.6K

7.44%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$61.8 MX$1,147

37.31%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$25.25 MX$469

-7.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$26.39 MX$490

8.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$30.84 MX$573

84.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$20.41 MX$379

41.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$5.02 MX$93.2

2.39%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$218 MX$4,050

-5.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$4,259 MX$79.1K

-7.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$53.2 MX$989

-18.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$40.76 MX$757

1.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$103 MX$1,904

-27.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$96.1 MX$1,785

-7.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$668 MX$12.4K

46.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$377 MX$7,001

1.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$995 MX$18.5K

71.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$755 MX$14.0K

42.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$2,008 MX$37.3K

96.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,178 MX$21.9K

422.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.31

1.24%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Fernando: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

San Fernando

$377 33.1% 1% $3.9

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

San Fernando

$259 22.7% 1.6% $4

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

San Fernando

$174 15.3% 13.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

San Fernando

$113 10% 17.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

San Fernando

$132 11.6% 17.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

San Fernando

$41 3.6% 39.3% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Fernando

$44 3.9% 12.7% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $668 in San Fernando. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in San Fernando. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $259 in San Fernando – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 San Fernando

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,867

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Fernando 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Fernando

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 Fernando: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,710 in San Fernando. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Fernando, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $668 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,140 in San Fernando. That makes San Fernando about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $218 in San Fernando. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,140 in San Fernando, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,140 in San Fernando to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.