Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Rafael Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Rafael

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 34.6% more expensive than San Rafael without rent, and 39.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 53.4% more expensive than San Rafael without rent, and 52.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$9.90 ARS 14.4K
19.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$19.70 ARS 28.6K
114.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$5.83 ARS 8,468
84.39%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$1.82 ARS 2,640
90.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$0.98 ARS 1,429
47.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$1.03 ARS 1,494
-12.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$1.02 ARS 1,486
199.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$1.47 ARS 2,141
200.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.01 ARS 1,468
35.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$1.48 ARS 2,153
26.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$1.41 ARS 2,051
9.22%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$1.58 ARS 2,298
58.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$5.56 ARS 8,080
54.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$7.56 ARS 11.0K
14.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$6.46 ARS 9,385
70.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$1.74 ARS 2,524
58.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$1.48 ARS 2,151
-3.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$1.51 ARS 2,198
23.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$0.86 ARS 1,244
152.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$0.65 ARS 947
189.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$0.71 ARS 1,032
216.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$0.61 ARS 885
75.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$1.26 ARS 1,831
-15.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$1.81 ARS 2,627
129.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$5.13 ARS 7,452
101.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$1.08 ARS 1,572
55.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$1.57 ARS 2,286
57.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
$0.76 ARS 1,108
-27.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
$0.42 ARS 604
666.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
$0.98 ARS 1,423
153.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
$4.80 ARS 6,969
-35.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$0.85 ARS 1,239
48.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$31.0K ARS 45.0M
-1.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$33.1K ARS 48.1M
-27.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$77.9 ARS 113.2K
5.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$6.71 ARS 9,750
232.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$15.28 ARS 22.2K
96.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
$25.91 ARS 37.6K
98.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
$13.50 ARS 19.6K
35.48%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$6.14 ARS 8,923
-18.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$104 ARS 151.4K
91.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$2,131 ARS 3.1M
148.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$82.8 ARS 120.2K
-56.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$77.0 ARS 111.7K
-48.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$149 ARS 216.7K
-46.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$118 ARS 171.1K
-25.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
$344 ARS 499.1K
182.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
$239 ARS 346.7K
102.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$676 ARS 982.1K
135.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$540 ARS 783.8K
119.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
$1,823 ARS 2.6M
122.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
$449 ARS 652.1K
68.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
79
-85.54%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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