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 66.2% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 52% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 28.1% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 60% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.99 MX$227

$2.83 BOB 19.4

323.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.47 MX$803

$26.78 BOB 183

58.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 MX$198

$7.46 BOB 51.1

40.35%

Cappuccino

$3.6 MX$68.2

$2.72 BOB 18.63

32.35%

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

$1.44 MX$27.16

$0.76 BOB 5.21

89.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 MX$16.79

$0.71 BOB 4.83

25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$58.5

$1.48 BOB 10.16

108.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 MX$86.6

$1.98 BOB 13.57

131.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$26.04

$1.07 BOB 7.35

28.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$34.9

$1.42 BOB 9.73

30.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.68

$1.33 BOB 9.14

18.05%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$48.3

$1.77 BOB 12.14

44.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$163

$4.65 BOB 31.86

85.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 MX$161

$4.15 BOB 28.42

105.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.98 MX$208

$6.51 BOB 44.57

68.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$51.4

$2.64 BOB 18.08

3.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.57

$0.91 BOB 6.26

65.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.63

$1.14 BOB 7.8

64.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$41.42

$1 BOB 6.88

119.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 MX$35.3

$0.94 BOB 6.43

98.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$41.37

$1.03 BOB 7.04

112.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$20.23

$0.79 BOB 5.38

35.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.64

$1.11 BOB 7.63

-1.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 MX$74.9

$2.14 BOB 14.68

85.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.86 MX$167

$7.05 BOB 48.27

25.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$32.53

$1.48 BOB 10.12

16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$49.37

$2.06 BOB 14.08

26.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.74

$0.3 BOB 2.04

73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.59 MX$503

$21.71 BOB 149

22.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$61.2

$2.88 BOB 19.74

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 MX$44.94

$1.46 BOB 10.01

63.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$58.7

$7.08 BOB 48.49

-56.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$24.85

$0.58 BOB 3.94

125.86%

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

$30.3K MX$573K

$29.3K BOB 200.6K

3.50%

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

$24K MX$453.6K

$27.8K BOB 190.7K

-13.83%

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

$84.2 MX$1,592

$54.2 BOB 371

55.42%

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

$22.14 MX$419

$22.31 BOB 153

-0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 MX$570

$32.84 BOB 225

-8.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52 MX$983

$32.3 BOB 221

60.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.72 MX$354

$21.34 BOB 146

-12.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 MX$95.9

$7.13 BOB 48.81

-28.89%

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

$200 MX$3,787

$202 BOB 1,384

-0.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,333 MX$100.8K

$4,227 BOB 29K

26.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.74 MX$676

$43.42 BOB 297

-17.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.8 MX$753

$48.74 BOB 334

-18.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79 MX$1,493

$84.9 BOB 582

-7.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,671

$61.7 BOB 423

43.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$965 MX$18.3K

$402 BOB 2,757

139.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 MX$8,968

$260 BOB 1,778

82.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 MX$31.2K

$759 BOB 5,200

117.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,202 MX$22.7K

$651 BOB 4,462

84.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,081 MX$58.3K

$1,375 BOB 9,421

124.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,529 MX$142.3K

$1,667 BOB 11.4K

351.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$792 MX$15K

$401 BOB 2,750

97.24%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 28, 2025

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