Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Cruz Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Cruz

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 40.3% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 57.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 51.9% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 62.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 MX$209

$2.94 BOB 20.37

303.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.16 MX$744

$27.08 BOB 188

55.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$190

$7.14 BOB 49.46

50.56%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$61.3

$2.81 BOB 19.46

23.49%

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

$1.45 MX$25.65

$0.79 BOB 5.47

83.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.93

$0.66 BOB 4.56

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$53.9

$1.44 BOB 9.95

111.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MX$77.9

$1.90 BOB 13.20

132.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$24.17

$1.08 BOB 7.46

26.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MX$33.05

$1.42 BOB 9.84

31.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$27.25

$1.34 BOB 9.30

14.93%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$44.18

$1.76 BOB 12.22

42.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$152

$4.77 BOB 33.05

80.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 MX$152

$4.14 BOB 28.68

108.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 MX$195

$6.30 BOB 43.66

74.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$48.53

$2.74 BOB 18.96

0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$25.21

$0.89 BOB 6.14

60.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$33.05

$1.14 BOB 7.92

64.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$38.26

$1.00 BOB 6.90

117.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$33.23

$0.98 BOB 6.81

91.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$39.65

$1.00 BOB 6.93

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.85

$0.76 BOB 5.24

40.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.95

$1.15 BOB 7.97

-6.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$73.3

$2.14 BOB 14.84

93.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MX$182

$7.31 BOB 50.6

41.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$29.64

$1.48 BOB 10.26

13.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$43.84

$2.01 BOB 13.94

23.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.80

$0.30 BOB 2.06

83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$468

$21.43 BOB 149

23.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$56.8

$2.96 BOB 20.49

8.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$43.80

$1.48 BOB 10.28

67.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$54.9

$7.28 BOB 50.5

-57.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.16

$0.55 BOB 3.81

129.09%

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

$30.7K MX$541.1K

$28.7K BOB 199.2K

6.68%

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

$24.0K MX$424.3K

$28.0K BOB 194.0K

-14.15%

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

$82.5 MX$1,456

$53.4 BOB 370

54.37%

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

$22.29 MX$393

$22.97 BOB 159

-2.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 MX$530

$33.51 BOB 232

-10.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$908

$32.52 BOB 225

58.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$323

$22.03 BOB 153

-16.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$88.0

$7.11 BOB 49.29

-29.96%

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

$200 MX$3,530

$202 BOB 1,400

-0.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$93.6K

$4,157 BOB 28.8K

27.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$630

$42.44 BOB 294

-15.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$698

$48.35 BOB 335

-18.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,422

$83.7 BOB 580

-3.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,559

$61.8 BOB 429

42.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.1K

$414 BOB 2,868

134.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,511

$262 BOB 1,813

84.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$28.2K

$748 BOB 5,186

113.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$20.9K

$635 BOB 4,398

86.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$71.5K

$1,529 BOB 10.6K

164.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$115.1K

$864 BOB 5,985

655.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.4K

$505 BOB 3,496

49.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

6.67

71.21%

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 Santa Cruz: March 3, 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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