Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Francisco de Macoris

For one person, living is cheaper in San Francisco de Macoris: $696 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco de Macoris
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San Francisco de Macoris Living Index

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San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

San Francisco de Macoris

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in San Francisco de Macoris

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 Francisco de Macoris actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $696 in San Francisco de Macoris, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
San Francisco de Macoris $696

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,146 in San Francisco de Macoris, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Francisco de Macoris $1,146

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,596 in San Francisco de Macoris, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
San Francisco de Macoris $1,596

Playa del Carmen costs about 73% more than San Francisco de Macoris, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and San Francisco de Macoris are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, San Francisco de Macoris 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$9.90 DOP 594

7.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$48.75 DOP 2,928

-10.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.54 DOP 453

56.37%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.28 DOP 137

66.23%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.06 DOP 63.7

22.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.57 DOP 34.46

45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.46 DOP 148

28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.16 DOP 190

56.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.42 DOP 85.3

-0.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.52 DOP 91.0

44.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.56 DOP 93.8

-5.77%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.24 DOP 135

11.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.24 DOP 435

0.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.48 DOP 329

45.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.52 DOP 392

97.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.24 DOP 195

-10.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.77 DOP 46.33

79.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.72 DOP 163

-8.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.77 DOP 106

14.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.97 DOP 118

2.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.16 DOP 130

-12.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.98 DOP 59.1

16.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.94 DOP 56.5

31.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$5.17 DOP 310

-17.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$10.05 DOP 604

-2.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.53 DOP 152

-37.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.86 DOP 172

-3.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$3.35 DOP 201

42.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$2.16 DOP 130

50.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$5.55 DOP 333

-2.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.37 DOP 82.3

11.68%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$28.5K DOP 1.7M

-25.56%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$34.1K DOP 2.0M

-31.69%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$93.2 DOP 5,599

-10.45%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$31.53 DOP 1,894

-26.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$35.43 DOP 2,128

-22.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.39 DOP 444

-32.34%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$252 DOP 15.2K

-17.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$7,453 DOP 447.6K

-29.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$44.43 DOP 2,668

-2.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$45.32 DOP 2,722

-6.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$84.8 DOP 5,092

-14.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$124 DOP 7,445

-28.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.56

-15.56%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Francisco de Macoris: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

San Francisco de Macoris

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

San Francisco de Macoris

$218 31.3% 15.4% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

San Francisco de Macoris

$154 22.2% 22.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

San Francisco de Macoris

$160 23% 19.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

San Francisco de Macoris

$134 19.3% 20.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

San Francisco de Macoris

$15 * 2.1% 77.8% $52

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Francisco de Macoris

$14 * 2% 72% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $49 in San Francisco de Macoris. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $218 in San Francisco de Macoris – so San Francisco de Macoris wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇴 San Francisco de Macoris

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

16:56 4:56 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

245,397

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Francisco de Macoris 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Francisco de Macoris

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 Francisco de Macoris: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,043 in San Francisco de Macoris. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $696 in San Francisco de Macoris. That makes San Francisco de Macoris about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $252 in San Francisco de Macoris. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in San Francisco de Macoris, where all-in costs run around $696, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In San Francisco de Macoris it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $696 in San Francisco de Macoris to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.