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 62% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 55% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 23.9% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 62.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

$2.97 BOB 20.59

300.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

$26.65 BOB 185

57.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

$7.23 BOB 50.1

45.92%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

$2.79 BOB 19.36

29.03%

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

$1.50 MX$26.45

$0.82 BOB 5.70

82.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

$0.71 BOB 4.94

28.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

$1.44 BOB 9.98

113.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

$1.91 BOB 13.25

134.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$24.54

$1.07 BOB 7.43

29.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 MX$33.47

$1.40 BOB 9.69

35.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$28.27

$1.33 BOB 9.21

20.30%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.97

$1.82 BOB 12.62

42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

$4.79 BOB 33.21

74.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 MX$152

$4.19 BOB 29.05

106.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 MX$192

$6.32 BOB 43.83

72.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

$2.79 BOB 19.36

-6.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.46

$0.91 BOB 6.28

58.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

$1.14 BOB 7.88

71.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

$1.01 BOB 6.99

109.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.87

$1.00 BOB 6.95

86.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 MX$39.20

$0.93 BOB 6.45

138.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

$0.73 BOB 5.07

39.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.36

$1.15 BOB 7.96

-9.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 MX$71.5

$2.14 BOB 14.80

89.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MX$180

$7.36 BOB 51.0

38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$29.79

$1.46 BOB 10.12

15.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$46.25

$1.98 BOB 13.74

32.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

$0.30 BOB 2.06

70.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

$21.33 BOB 148

24.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

$2.87 BOB 19.86

9.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

$1.43 BOB 9.91

72.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

$7.14 BOB 49.50

-54.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

$0.55 BOB 3.81

140.00%

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

$28.5K BOB 197.4K

5.62%

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

$27.2K BOB 188.4K

-12.61%

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

$83.5 MX$1,474

$54.3 BOB 376

53.89%

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

$22.86 MX$404

$22.29 BOB 154

2.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

$33.01 BOB 229

-9.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

$32.66 BOB 226

58.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

$22.06 BOB 153

-17.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

$7.21 BOB 49.98

-28.99%

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

$201 MX$3,541

$204 BOB 1,410

-1.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

$4,276 BOB 29.6K

24.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

$42.28 BOB 293

-15.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

$48.84 BOB 338

-17.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

$83.9 BOB 582

-5.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

$62.0 BOB 430

43.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

$405 BOB 2,804

134.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

$259 BOB 1,795

86.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

$731 BOB 5,068

118.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

$649 BOB 4,501

86.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

$1,516 BOB 10.5K

163.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

$869 BOB 6,024

636.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 MX$12.9K

$431 BOB 2,984

69.42%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: January 12, 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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