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 27.3% more expensive than San Juan del Sur without rent, and 20.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 0.4% more expensive than San Juan del Sur without rent, and 27.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.61 MX$200

$4.16 NIO 153

179.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$738

$33.23 NIO 1,222

28.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 MX$183

$5.50 NIO 203

92.73%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$2.39 NIO 87.9

50.21%

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

$1.45 MX$25.08

$0.80 NIO 29.42

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.50

$0.67 NIO 24.77

34.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$52.4

$1.29 NIO 47.62

134.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 MX$78.8

$2.03 NIO 74.6

124.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.07

$1.26 NIO 46.26

15.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MX$31.55

$1.48 NIO 54.3

23.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.77

$1.18 NIO 43.38

36.44%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$43.82

$1.91 NIO 70.2

32.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$148

$7.79 NIO 287

9.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.47 MX$146

$6.53 NIO 240

29.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$7.96 NIO 293

36.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$47.13

$3.80 NIO 140

-28.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.77

$0.89 NIO 32.78

67.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$33.55

$1.75 NIO 64.4

10.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.38

$2.25 NIO 82.9

-4.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$31.88

$3.18 NIO 117

-41.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.80

$2.18 NIO 80.2

0.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.52

$1.07 NIO 39.28

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.71

$1.02 NIO 37.35

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$70.1

$2.72 NIO 99.9

49.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 MX$181

$10.16 NIO 374

2.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 MX$28.56

$1.46 NIO 53.8

13.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MX$44.01

$2.26 NIO 83.3

12.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.2

$1.48 NIO 54.4

112.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 MX$40.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$56.0

$6.88 NIO 253

-52.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.70

$1.29 NIO 47.54

1.55%

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

$30.5K MX$527.4K

$23.3K NIO 856.7K

31.15%

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

$23.8K MX$411.4K

$26.4K NIO 970.9K

-9.73%

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

$83.1 MX$1,436

$42.17 NIO 1,551

97.15%

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

$22.15 MX$383

$10.35 NIO 381

114.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MX$507

$35.61 NIO 1,310

-17.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 MX$884

$30.39 NIO 1,118

68.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MX$84.4

$7.89 NIO 290

-38.02%

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

$199 MX$3,431

$125 NIO 4,596

59.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 MX$89.9K

$5,941 NIO 218.6K

-12.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.93 MX$621

$76.5 NIO 2,814

-53.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 MX$680

$71.4 NIO 2,628

-44.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 MX$1,387

$133 NIO 4,905

-39.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 MX$1,512

$107 NIO 3,919

-17.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.6K

$468 NIO 17.2K

105.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,326

$402 NIO 14.8K

19.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 MX$28.4K

$964 NIO 35.5K

70.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 MX$20.6K

$968 NIO 35.6K

23.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$112.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.5K

$278 NIO 10.2K

161.40%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for San Juan del Sur: 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

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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