Last update: Nov 2026

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

Name: San Pedro
Address: San Pedro, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $707 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
Learn more

San Pedro Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

San Pedro

🇵🇭 Philippines

$707

/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 $707 in San Pedro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
San Pedro $707

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,074 in San Pedro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Pedro $1,074

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,442 in San Pedro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
San Pedro $1,442

Playa del Carmen costs about 70% more than San Pedro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and San Pedro are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, San Pedro 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.81 ₱242

180.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$16.66 ₱1,059

162.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$2.79 ₱177

322.58%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.76 ₱112

115.34%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.55 ₱34.86

136.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.31 ₱19.70

167.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.02 ₱64.9

208.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.57 ₱100

214.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.63 ₱104

-13.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.09 ₱69.4

101.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.01 ₱64.4

45.54%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.96 ₱125

27.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.83 ₱307

50.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.41 ₱217

133.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.77 ₱431

89.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.24 ₱142

29.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.57 ₱99.9

-12.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.26 ₱144

10.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.06 ₱67.2

91.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.63 ₱104

23.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.77 ₱113

7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.94 ₱59.6

21.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.51 ₱32.49

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.90 ₱185

47.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$8.69 ₱553

12.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.91 ₱57.8

74.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.98 ₱126

38.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.24 ₱15.29

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$12.33 ₱784

122.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.72 ₱46.09

561.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.20 ₱12.73

1525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.84 ₱117

192.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.18 ₱75.3

29.66%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

1.24%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

22.60%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$121 ₱7,665

-30.75%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.83 ₱1,006

46.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$23.27 ₱1,479

18.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.50 ₱2,003

79.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$5.10 ₱324

452.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.17 ₱329

-3.29%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$130 ₱8,269

59.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$8,736 ₱555.4K

-40.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$28.24 ₱1,796

53.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.23 ₱1,222

121.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$71.6 ₱4,551

1.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$55.6 ₱3,536

58.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$252 ₱16.0K

294.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$170 ₱10.8K

125.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$484 ₱30.8K

245.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$350 ₱22.3K

208.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,591 ₱164.8K

50.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,089 ₱69.2K

463.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$125 ₱7,951

565.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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

$170 24% 55.7% $213

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

San Pedro

$170 24.1% 33.9% $87

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

San Pedro

$72 10.2% 64.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

San Pedro

$160 22.6% 18.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

San Pedro

$79 11.1% 29.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

San Pedro

$42 5.9% 37% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Pedro

$15 2.1% 70.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $252 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.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $17 in San Pedro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $170 – making San Pedro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 San Pedro

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

07:13 7:13 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

326,001

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Pedro 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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 – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 70%, 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 $1,060 in San Pedro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pedro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $252 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $707 in San Pedro. That makes San Pedro about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 55% less in San Pedro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Pedro, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In San Pedro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with San Pedro. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.