Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Fernando, Trinidad And Tobago

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,261 in San Fernando, rent and utilities included – about $680 less a year. The total is higher in San Fernando despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
Learn more

San Fernando Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

San Fernando

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,261

/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 $1,261 in San Fernando, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
San Fernando $1,261

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,030 in San Fernando, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Fernando $2,030

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,799 in San Fernando, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
San Fernando $2,799

Playa del Carmen is about 5% cheaper than San Fernando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and San Fernando are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, San Fernando 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$10.49 TTD 70.8

4.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$58.5 TTD 395

-25.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$8.18 TTD 55.2

44.01%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.72 TTD 25.14

2.42%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.01 TTD 6.80

26.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.73 TTD 4.93

6.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.80 TTD 12.14

76.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.59 TTD 17.46

90.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.07 TTD 13.97

-31.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$2.33 TTD 15.76

-4.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.76 TTD 18.61

-48.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.81 TTD 25.73

-33.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.47 TTD 43.66

12.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.09 TTD 68.1

-23.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$8.81 TTD 59.5

44.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$5.37 TTD 36.26

-48.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.52 TTD 17.02

-45.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.72 TTD 25.13

-31.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$4.27 TTD 28.81

-50.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.77 TTD 5.22

151.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.77 TTD 5.21

145.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.48 TTD 10.02

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.15 TTD 7.73

2.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$5.56 TTD 37.56

-22.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$17.76 TTD 120

-43.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.48 TTD 9.98

6.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.97 TTD 20.08

-10.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.46 TTD 3.11

19.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$44.91 TTD 303

-40.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.91 TTD 6.11

446.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.84 TTD 5.65

296.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$14.58 TTD 98.5

-63.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.16 TTD 7.84

24.14%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$36.3K TTD 245.4K

-43.14%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$40.8K TTD 275.6K

-42.51%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$44.29 TTD 299

91.44%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$42.32 TTD 286

-44.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$45.25 TTD 305

-36.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$52.1 TTD 352

9.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$22.39 TTD 151

29.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$8.59 TTD 58.0

-40.16%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$403 TTD 2,722

-48.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.6K TTD 71.9K

-63.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$53.7 TTD 363

-19.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$36.48 TTD 246

13.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$86.6 TTD 584

-14.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$87.6 TTD 592

1.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$518 TTD 3,496

89.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$398 TTD 2,686

-4.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$915 TTD 6,180

86.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$724 TTD 4,887

48.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,940 TTD 13.1K

103.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,527 TTD 10.3K

303.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,023 TTD 6,908

-28.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.75

99.13%

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 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

San Fernando

$398 31.6% 4.5% $17

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

San Fernando

$317 25.2% 24.5% $62

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

San Fernando

$174 13.8% 13.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

San Fernando

$132 10.5% 3.6% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

San Fernando

$119 9.4% 6.5% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

San Fernando

$69 5.5% 2.9% $2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Fernando

$52 4.1% 2.8% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $518 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.

Salaries run about 39% higher in San Fernando. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $59 in San Fernando. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $317 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇹 San Fernando

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

04:25 4:25 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

55,419

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 TTD = 0.148 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.75 TTD (1 TTD = 0.148 USD). 1 EUR = 7.53 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Fernando 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 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 – San Fernando is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,892 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 $518 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,261 in San Fernando. That makes Playa del Carmen about 5% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,261 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,261 in San Fernando. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Fernando makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.