Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $639 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
Learn more

Santa Cruz Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $639 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Santa Cruz $639

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,172 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Santa Cruz $1,172

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,704 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Santa Cruz $1,704

Playa del Carmen costs about 89% more than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Santa Cruz are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Santa Cruz 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$2.00 BOB 23.19

438.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$16.80 BOB 195

156.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.10 BOB 59.2

131.18%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.77 BOB 20.52

118.64%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.49 BOB 5.72

179.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.43 BOB 4.97

95.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$0.86 BOB 9.97

260.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$1.24 BOB 14.35

308.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$0.71 BOB 8.23

102.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.94 BOB 10.88

137.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.03 BOB 11.93

42.72%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.06 BOB 12.27

138.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$3.15 BOB 36.56

131.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$2.58 BOB 29.92

204.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$4.98 BOB 57.8

156.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.82 BOB 21.12

59.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$0.62 BOB 7.24

132.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$0.76 BOB 8.81

235.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$0.73 BOB 8.48

182.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.74 BOB 8.55

170.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.67 BOB 7.75

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.57 BOB 6.66

108.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.63 BOB 7.36

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$1.92 BOB 22.25

129.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$4.32 BOB 50.2

121.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.02 BOB 11.86

55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.64 BOB 19.01

71.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.24 BOB 2.78

137.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$22.48 BOB 261

23.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.64 BOB 19.05

203.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.91 BOB 10.58

284.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$6.31 BOB 73.3

-14.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.57 BOB 6.59

157.89%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

49.20%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

24.11%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$34.84 BOB 405

141.70%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$19.67 BOB 228

21.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$17.53 BOB 204

65.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$19.56 BOB 227

221.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$12.84 BOB 149

126.95%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.86 BOB 68.1

-15.70%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$112 BOB 1,303

81.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

33.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$27.21 BOB 316

60.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$35.79 BOB 416

20.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$66.3 BOB 769

14.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$58.3 BOB 677

51.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$267 BOB 3,105

276.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$247 BOB 2,869

51.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$909 BOB 10.6K

87.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$830 BOB 9,630

33.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

203.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$737 BOB 8,551

737.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$276 BOB 3,204

173.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.17

85.58%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6% 33.9% $127

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5% 56.6% $146

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8% 68.9% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3% 47.5% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2% 25.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9% 57.1% $42

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6% 43.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $267 in Santa Cruz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 173% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $17.00 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $112 – making Santa Cruz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,800,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Santa Cruz 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $959 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $639 in Santa Cruz. That's a gap of about 89%.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Santa Cruz. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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