Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Pedro de Atacama

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama: $1,078 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Atacama
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San Pedro de Atacama Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

San Pedro de Atacama

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
San Pedro de Atacama $1,078

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,628 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Pedro de Atacama $1,628

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,178 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
San Pedro de Atacama $2,178

Playa del Carmen costs about 12% more than San Pedro de Atacama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and San Pedro de Atacama are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, San Pedro de Atacama 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$7.15 CLP 6,975

49.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$44.87 CLP 43.8K

-2.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.20 CLP 8,002

43.78%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.4

$2.80 CLP 2,733

35.36%

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

$1.30 MX$24.12

$1.58 CLP 1,541

-17.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.50

$1.17 CLP 1,145

-29.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.5

$3.46 CLP 3,376

-8.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.89 CLP 3,799

26.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.18 CLP 1,151

19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.83

$1.47 CLP 1,439

49.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.39

$1.64 CLP 1,599

-10.37%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.43

$3.70 CLP 3,614

-32.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$10.32 CLP 10.1K

-29.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.68 CLP 6,521

19.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$11.69 CLP 11.4K

10.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.99 CLP 1,939

45.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.73

$1.57 CLP 1,529

-12.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.32

$1.77 CLP 1,726

40.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.73 CLP 1,692

17.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.66 CLP 1,621

21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.40

$1.54 CLP 1,507

23.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.28

$1.36 CLP 1,322

-16.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.04

$1.23 CLP 1,196

0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.4

$5.18 CLP 5,059

-17.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$5.22 CLP 5,097

87.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.49

$1.62 CLP 1,578

-1.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.17 CLP 2,113

26.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.62 CLP 610

-17.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.70 CLP 679

580.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.4

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.42

$1.38 CLP 1,343

10.87%

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

$21.2K MX$394.5K

$17.9K CLP 17.5M

18.61%

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

$23.3K MX$432.6K

$19.3K CLP 18.8M

20.62%

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

$83.5 MX$1,553

$134 CLP 131.0K

-37.83%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$13.70 CLP 13.4K

69.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$21.72 CLP 21.2K

27.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$38.10 CLP 37.2K

48.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

$23.29 CLP 22.7K

21.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.0

$5.32 CLP 5,194

-6.02%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$386 CLP 376.4K

-46.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$8,304 CLP 8.1M

-37.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$808

$47.49 CLP 46.3K

-8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$791

$25.06 CLP 24.5K

69.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,353

$60.7 CLP 59.2K

19.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,644

$81.5 CLP 79.5K

8.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$484 CLP 472.2K

105.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,112

$375 CLP 365.6K

2.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$889 CLP 867.8K

88.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$584 CLP 570.2K

84.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,309 CLP 2.3M

69.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.01

128.54%

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 de Atacama: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

San Pedro de Atacama

$375 34.8% 2% $7.7

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

San Pedro de Atacama

$234 21.7% 9.3% $24

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

San Pedro de Atacama

$152 14.1% 24.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

San Pedro de Atacama

$170 15.7% 26.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

San Pedro de Atacama

$97 9% 13.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

San Pedro de Atacama

$49 4.5% 26.6% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Pedro de Atacama

$3.2 * 0.3% 93.7% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $484 in San Pedro de Atacama. 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 $45 in San Pedro de Atacama. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $234 in San Pedro de Atacama – so San Pedro de Atacama wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,347

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.25 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.17 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.6 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 976 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,090 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.17 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Pedro de Atacama 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Pedro de Atacama

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 de Atacama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,617 in San Pedro de Atacama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $484 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $386 in San Pedro de Atacama. 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama, 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 $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.