Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Pedro, Belize

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,602 in San Pedro, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Pedro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

San Pedro

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,602 in San Pedro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
San Pedro $1,602

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,720 in San Pedro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Pedro $2,720

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,837 in San Pedro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
San Pedro $3,837

Playa del Carmen is about 25% cheaper than San Pedro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while San Pedro is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$9.39 BZD 18.78

13.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$29.50 BZD 59.0

48.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$2.99 BZD 5.98

26.76%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$1.41 BZD 2.82

-7.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$1.51 BZD 3.02

-45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$2.93 BZD 5.86

7.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$3.92 BZD 7.85

25.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$5.15 BZD 10.29

-72.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$2.41 BZD 4.82

-8.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$5.62 BZD 11.23

-73.84%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$1.86 BZD 3.71

34.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$11.91 BZD 23.82

-38.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$13.29 BZD 26.58

-40.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$10.76 BZD 21.52

19.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$14.48 BZD 28.96

-79.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.12 BZD 2.23

23.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$7.64 BZD 15.29

-73.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$6.70 BZD 13.40

-69.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$3.76 BZD 7.51

-49.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$1.22 BZD 2.44

-6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$1.92 BZD 3.83

-35.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$23.56 BZD 47.13

-58.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$3.69 BZD 7.39

-56.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$3.90 BZD 7.80

-29.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$4.94 BZD 9.89

-34.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.64 BZD 3.28

-6.71%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$174 BZD 349

-52.09%

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

$23.19 MX$434

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$29.53 BZD 59.1

91.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

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

$207 MX$3,873

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$1,004 BZD 2,008

-0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$743 BZD 1,485

-48.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$2,811 BZD 5,623

-40.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$2,007 BZD 4,015

-46.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$2,688 BZD 5,377

45.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$1,588 BZD 3,176

286.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Pedro: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

San Pedro

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

San Pedro

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

San Pedro

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

San Pedro

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

San Pedro

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

San Pedro

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Pedro

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,004 in San Pedro. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $30 in San Pedro. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $486 in San Pedro – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇿 San Pedro

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,456

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Belize Dollar BZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.445 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.25 BZD (1 BZD = 0.445 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen San Pedro 320 km

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Pedro

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 Pedro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Pedro is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,404 in San Pedro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,004 in San Pedro. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 89% more in San Pedro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $30 in San Pedro. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in San Pedro at $1,602. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Pedro 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,602 in San Pedro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.