Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Luis Potosi

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,279 in San Luis Potosi, rent and utilities included – about $900 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
62

Cost of Living Index in San Luis Potosi
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San Luis Potosi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

San Luis Potosi

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,279 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
San Luis Potosi $1,279

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,990 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Luis Potosi $1,990

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,701 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
San Luis Potosi $2,701

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper than San Luis Potosi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and San Luis Potosi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, San Luis Potosi 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.67 MX$257

-20.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$41.65 MX$783

4.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.28 MX$174

26.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.15 MX$59.2

20.95%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.35 MX$25.46

-5.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.95 MX$17.93

-17.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.58 MX$48.54

22.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.64 MX$87.1

6.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.53 MX$28.79

-7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.44 MX$45.84

-9.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.75 MX$32.97

-18.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.65 MX$49.88

-4.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.44 MX$159

-13.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$10.09 MX$190

-23.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$11.42 MX$215

11.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.26 MX$61.3

-14.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.61 MX$30.33

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.18 MX$41.06

16.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.57 MX$48.31

-17.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.62 MX$49.21

-25.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$3.04 MX$57.1

-37.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.10 MX$20.68

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.32 MX$24.78

-10.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.92 MX$73.7

9.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$13.48 MX$253

-26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.03 MX$38.07

-22.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.80 MX$71.5

-29.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.86 MX$16.25

-36.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$70.4 MX$1,323

-62.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$0.85 MX$15.91

484.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.65 MX$31.00

101.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$9.86 MX$185

-45.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.36 MX$25.55

5.88%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$21.2K MX$398.6K

-2.55%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$23.1K MX$434.4K

1.53%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$41.57 MX$781

103.97%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$15.91 MX$299

47.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$30.72 MX$577

-6.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$30.10 MX$566

89.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$26.81 MX$504

7.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.55 MX$104

-7.39%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$250 MX$4,704

-17.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$3,477 MX$65.3K

12.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$53.8 MX$1,011

-19.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$37.90 MX$712

9.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$100 MX$1,880

-25.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$75.7 MX$1,423

17.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$647 MX$12.2K

51.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$446 MX$8,387

-14.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,138 MX$21.4K

50.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$751 MX$14.1K

43.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,395 MX$26.2K

182.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$883 MX$16.6K

597.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$853 MX$16.0K

-13.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.68

-9.70%

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 Luis Potosi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

San Luis Potosi

$446 34.9% 17.2% $65

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

San Luis Potosi

$294 23% 15.3% $39

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

San Luis Potosi

$206 16.1% 2% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

San Luis Potosi

$88 6.9% 35.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

San Luis Potosi

$120 9.4% 7.7% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

San Luis Potosi

$41 3.2% 38.8% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Luis Potosi

$83 6.5% 64.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $647 in San Luis Potosi. 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 16% higher in San Luis Potosi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $42 in San Luis Potosi. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $294 in San Luis Potosi – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 San Luis Potosi

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

845,941

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Luis Potosi 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Luis Potosi

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 Luis Potosi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Luis Potosi is pricier by about 6%, 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 $1,919 in San Luis Potosi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Luis Potosi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $647 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,279 in San Luis Potosi. That makes Playa del Carmen about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $250 in San Luis Potosi. 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 $1,279 in San Luis Potosi, 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 $1,279 in San Luis Potosi. 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 Luis Potosi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.