Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Juan del Sur Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Juan del Sur

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 59.5% more expensive than San Juan del Sur without rent, and 22.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 6.3% more expensive than San Juan del Sur without rent, and 26.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$4.09 NIO 150
193.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$33.28 NIO 1,219
27.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$5.71 NIO 209
83.36%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.35 NIO 86.2
53.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.81 NIO 29.56
77.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.68 NIO 24.77
30.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.32 NIO 48.39
134.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.06 NIO 75.4
122.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.27 NIO 46.58
8.66%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.47 NIO 53.7
25.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.18 NIO 43.26
33.05%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.95 NIO 71.3
30.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$7.94 NIO 291
8.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$6.22 NIO 228
37.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$7.78 NIO 285
41.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.79 NIO 139
-28.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.89 NIO 32.67
69.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.77 NIO 64.7
6.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$2.27 NIO 83.3
-3.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$3.22 NIO 118
-41.93%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.26 NIO 82.9
-3.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.06 NIO 38.68
0.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1.02 NIO 37.33
6.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.64 NIO 96.7
50.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$9.93 NIO 364
-10.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.44 NIO 52.9
19.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.26 NIO 82.7
15.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
San Juan del Sur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.52 NIO 55.7
113.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$6.97 NIO 255
-55.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.3 NIO 47.56
0.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$23.2K NIO 851.2K
30.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$26.3K NIO 962.9K
-8.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$42.09 NIO 1,542
100.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$10.41 NIO 381
112.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$36.05 NIO 1,320
-16.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$29.98 NIO 1,098
73.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$7.93 NIO 290
-36.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$123 NIO 4,499
63.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,108 NIO 223.7K
-12.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$78.3 NIO 2,868
-54.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$72.8 NIO 2,667
-45.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$134 NIO 4,923
-41.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$109 NIO 4,005
-19.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
San Juan del Sur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$471 NIO 17.3K
104.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$405 NIO 14.8K
17.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$961 NIO 35.2K
71.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$966 NIO 35.4K
24.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$275 NIO 10.1K
187.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10.25
11.41%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 29, 2025

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