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 45.6% more expensive than San Rafael without rent, and 43.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 15.5% more expensive than San Rafael without rent, and 55.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$10.03 ARS 13.6K
15.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$19.89 ARS 27.1K
114.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$6.08 ARS 8,265
74.34%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$1.84 ARS 2,496
95.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$1.02 ARS 1,382
42.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$1.02 ARS 1,380
-11.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.02 ARS 1,384
197.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$1.51 ARS 2,056
201.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.01 ARS 1,371
43.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.54 ARS 2,089
18.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.44 ARS 1,957
11.81%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$1.62 ARS 2,208
56.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$5.66 ARS 7,698
50.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$7.71 ARS 10.5K
9.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$6.62 ARS 9,005
64.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$1.76 ARS 2,396
55.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.47 ARS 1,999
1.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.47 ARS 2,003
31.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$0.87 ARS 1,180
148.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$0.66 ARS 899
180.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$0.69 ARS 938
217.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.64 ARS 864
67.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.22 ARS 1,662
-11.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$1.81 ARS 2,456
124.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$4.07 ARS 5,531
157.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.13 ARS 1,539
46.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.64 ARS 2,225
55.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.79 ARS 1,072
-29.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$0.41 ARS 558
665.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.97 ARS 1,319
144.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$4.88 ARS 6,632
-33.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$0.84 ARS 1,136
55.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$31.3K ARS 42.6M
-2.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$33.1K ARS 45.0M
-28.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$76.3 ARS 103.8K
8.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$6.83 ARS 9,288
224.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$15.47 ARS 21.0K
89.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$26.23 ARS 35.7K
95.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$13.84 ARS 18.8K
35.04%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$6.07 ARS 8,260
-19.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$102 ARS 138.7K
94.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$2,192 ARS 3.0M
137.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$82.6 ARS 112.3K
-56.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$76.3 ARS 103.8K
-48.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$147 ARS 200.3K
-45.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$121 ARS 164.6K
-27.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$341 ARS 463.4K
182.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$236 ARS 320.6K
104.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$672 ARS 913.9K
144.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$534 ARS 726.5K
123.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$2,078 ARS 2.8M
90.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
San Rafael
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$454 ARS 617.0K
60.10%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: April 11, 2026

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

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