Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $4,547 in San Rafael, CA, rent and utilities included – about $40,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
219

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael, CA
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San Rafael, CA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

San Rafael, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in San Rafael, CA

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,547 in San Rafael, CA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
San Rafael, CA $4,547

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,255 in San Rafael, CA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Rafael, CA $6,255

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $7,963 in San Rafael, CA, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
San Rafael, CA $7,963

Playa del Carmen is about 74% cheaper than San Rafael, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while San Rafael, CA is 234% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$25.37 $25.37

-56.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$122 $122

-64.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$11.67 $11.67

0.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.80 $4.80

-20.62%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$2.95 $2.95

-56.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$2.93 $2.93

-73.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.64 $5.64

-43.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$6.97 $6.97

-29.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.50 $1.50

-6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$4.59 $4.59

-51.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$9.70 $9.70

-85.36%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$5.44 $5.44

-53.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$22.82 $22.82

-68.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$15.29 $15.29

-49.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$18.54 $18.54

-31.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$7.29 $7.29

-61.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.95 $2.95

-53.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$6.66 $6.66

-61.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$8.36 $8.36

-74.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$5.86 $5.86

-66.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$5.65 $5.65

-66.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$3.14 $3.14

-63.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$3.99 $3.99

-70.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$11.42 $11.42

-62.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.78 $12.78

-22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.23 $2.23

-29.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.99 $2.99

-10.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.05 $2.05

-73.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$40.37 $40.37

-34.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$4.01 $4.01

23.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$4.39 $4.39

-24.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$29.55 $29.55

-81.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.40 $1.40

2.86%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$29.4K $29.4K

-29.72%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$26.3K $26.3K

-10.72%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$251 $251

-66.27%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$85.1 $85.1

-72.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$61.7 $61.7

-53.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$124 $124

-53.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$29.91 $29.91

-3.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$12.93 $12.93

-60.25%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$2,091 $2,091

-90.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$24.1K $24.1K

-83.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$60.9 $60.9

-28.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$42.54 $42.54

-2.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$96.5 $96.5

-23.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$130 $130

-31.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$2,814 $2,814

-65.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$2,838 $2,838

-86.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$4,116 $4,116

-58.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$3,993 $3,993

-73.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$8,383 $8,383

-52.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$5,743 $5,743

7.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$6,930 $6,930

-89.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.62

72.96%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Rafael, CA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

San Rafael, CA

$2.8K 62.4% 645% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

San Rafael, CA

$577 12.7% 126% $322

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

San Rafael, CA

$361 7.9% 78.5% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

San Rafael, CA

$398 8.8% 191% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

San Rafael, CA

$149 3.3% 33% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

San Rafael, CA

$150 3.3% 122% $82

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Rafael, CA

$75 1.6% 47.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,814 in San Rafael, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in San Rafael, CA are about 9.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $122 in San Rafael, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $577 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 San Rafael, CA

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

58,704

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Rafael, CA 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Rafael, CA

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 Rafael, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Rafael, CA is pricier by about 278%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $6,821 in San Rafael, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $2,814 in San Rafael, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $4,547 in San Rafael, CA. That makes Playa del Carmen about 74% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in San Rafael, CA at $4,547. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Rafael, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Rafael, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.