Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis: $1,148 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in San Luis
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San Luis Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

San Luis

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,148 in San Luis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
San Luis $1,148

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,952 in San Luis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Luis $1,952

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,755 in San Luis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
San Luis $2,755

Playa del Carmen costs about 5% more than San Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and San Luis are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, San Luis 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$8.51 ARS 13.1K

28.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$50.8 ARS 78.5K

-14.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$8.52 ARS 13.2K

38.26%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$2.16 ARS 3,337

76.39%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$2.45 ARS 3,779

-47.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$1.91 ARS 2,955

-59.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$3.23 ARS 4,989

-1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$4.47 ARS 6,913

10.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.23 ARS 1,907

14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.96 ARS 3,023

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.05 ARS 1,620

35.24%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$3.02 ARS 4,660

-16.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$14.64 ARS 22.6K

-50.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.39 ARS 9,871

20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$10.98 ARS 17.0K

15.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$2.35 ARS 3,628

18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$2.14 ARS 3,308

-35.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.29 ARS 2,000

97.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$3.28 ARS 5,068

-35.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.03 ARS 1,589

88.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.51 ARS 2,326

25.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.93 ARS 2,986

-40.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$2.53 ARS 3,916

-53.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$2.69 ARS 4,162

59.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.88 ARS 7,541

103.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.70 ARS 2,627

-7.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.98 ARS 4,600

-10.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.58 ARS 901

-5.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$0.63 ARS 968

688.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.97 ARS 1,505

243.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$4.86 ARS 7,506

10.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.23 ARS 1,899

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$27.2K ARS 42.0M

-23.97%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$33.6K ARS 51.8M

-30.07%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$40.66 ARS 62.8K

108.53%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$16.99 ARS 26.2K

37.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$24.71 ARS 38.2K

15.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$33.53 ARS 51.8K

70.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$21.75 ARS 33.6K

32.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$5.58 ARS 8,627

-7.89%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$171 ARS 263.7K

21.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$4,143 ARS 6.4M

-5.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$127 ARS 196.5K

-65.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$143 ARS 220.3K

-70.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$144 ARS 222.8K

-48.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$159 ARS 246.3K

-44.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$496 ARS 765.7K

97.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$321 ARS 496.4K

18.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$1,116 ARS 1.7M

52.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$758 ARS 1.2M

41.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,307 ARS 2.0M

371.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-80.59%

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: 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

$321 28% 15.6% $60

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

San Luis

$272 23.7% 6.6% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

San Luis

$162 14.1% 19.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

San Luis

$82 7.2% 39.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

San Luis

$258 22.5% 131% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

San Luis

$45 3.9% 33.6% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Luis

$7.8 * 0.7% 84.5% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $496 in San Luis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $51 in San Luis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $272 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇷 San Luis

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

204,019

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Luis 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Luis

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,722 in San Luis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Luis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $496 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,148 in San Luis. That makes San Luis about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $171 in San Luis. 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 $1,148 in San Luis, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward San Luis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.