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 44% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 52.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 27.5% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 62.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.61 MX$200

$2.86 BOB 19.79

305.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$738

$26.77 BOB 185

59.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 MX$183

$7.09 BOB 49.07

49.51%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$2.84 BOB 19.65

26.41%

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

$1.45 MX$25.08

$0.79 BOB 5.45

83.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.50

$0.66 BOB 4.59

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$52.4

$1.41 BOB 9.75

114.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 MX$78.8

$1.97 BOB 13.64

131.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.07

$1.12 BOB 7.78

29.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MX$31.55

$1.42 BOB 9.81

28.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.77

$1.34 BOB 9.24

20.15%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$43.82

$1.77 BOB 12.23

43.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$148

$4.74 BOB 32.79

80.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.47 MX$146

$4.19 BOB 28.99

102.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$6.40 BOB 44.29

69.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$47.13

$2.68 BOB 18.54

1.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.77

$0.88 BOB 6.12

69.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$33.55

$1.18 BOB 8.14

64.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.38

$1.05 BOB 7.23

105.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$31.88

$0.99 BOB 6.87

86.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.80

$1.01 BOB 6.99

116.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.52

$0.75 BOB 5.20

42.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.71

$1.12 BOB 7.74

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$70.1

$2.20 BOB 15.21

84.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 MX$181

$7.19 BOB 49.76

45.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 MX$28.56

$1.47 BOB 10.20

12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MX$44.01

$1.98 BOB 13.68

28.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.60

$0.32 BOB 2.22

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$453

$21.23 BOB 147

23.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.2

$2.87 BOB 19.88

9.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 MX$40.96

$1.49 BOB 10.29

59.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$56.0

$7.24 BOB 50.1

-55.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.70

$0.58 BOB 4.03

125.86%

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

$30.5K MX$527.4K

$28.8K BOB 199.3K

6.05%

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

$23.8K MX$411.4K

$27.9K BOB 192.8K

-14.50%

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

$83.1 MX$1,436

$53.5 BOB 370

55.37%

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

$22.15 MX$383

$22.53 BOB 156

-1.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MX$507

$33.17 BOB 230

-11.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 MX$884

$32.54 BOB 225

57.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$323

$21.85 BOB 151

-14.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MX$84.4

$7.46 BOB 51.6

-34.45%

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

$199 MX$3,431

$203 BOB 1,401

-1.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 MX$89.9K

$4,235 BOB 29.3K

22.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.93 MX$621

$43.25 BOB 299

-16.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 MX$680

$47.64 BOB 330

-17.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 MX$1,387

$84.4 BOB 584

-4.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 MX$1,512

$62.0 BOB 429

41.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.6K

$403 BOB 2,790

138.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,326

$261 BOB 1,803

85.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 MX$28.4K

$734 BOB 5,081

124.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 MX$20.6K

$651 BOB 4,508

82.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.3K

$1,524 BOB 10.5K

159.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$112.5K

$850 BOB 5,883

666.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.5K

$515 BOB 3,565

40.97%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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