Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Cruz de La Palma

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de La Palma
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Santa Cruz de La Palma Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 de La Palma actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,643

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,423 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,423

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,203 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,203

Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper than Santa Cruz de La Palma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Santa Cruz de La Palma is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$17.09 €15.32

-36.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$56.2 €50.3

-22.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$11.24 €10.07

4.80%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.43 €2.18

56.79%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$2.50 €2.24

-48.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.81 €1.62

-56.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.45 €3.10

-8.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.99 €3.57

23.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.20 €1.08

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.43 €1.28

55.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.62 €1.46

-12.35%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.31 €2.97

-23.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$13.46 €12.06

-46.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$8.18 €7.33

-5.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$15.80 €14.16

-19.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.59 €2.32

7.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.09 €1.87

-34.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.09 €1.87

22.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$2.61 €2.34

-18.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.80 €1.61

7.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.93 €1.73

-2.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.33 €1.19

-13.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.69 €0.62

71.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$6.21 €5.56

-30.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$5.75 €5.15

73.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.21 €1.09

30.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.09 €1.88

27.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.60 €1.44

-65.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$32.40 €29.04

-17.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$4.02 €3.60

23.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.44 €1.29

131.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$22.84 €20.47

-76.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.73 €1.55

-16.76%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$33.8K €30.3K

-38.92%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$31.0K €27.8K

-24.38%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$143 €128

-40.64%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$17.79 €15.94

31.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$29.46 €26.40

-2.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$44.18 €39.59

29.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$15.89 €14.24

81.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$8.99 €8.06

-42.83%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$469 €420

-55.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,421 €7,546

-53.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$86.8 €77.8

-50.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$36.69 €32.88

12.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$91.5 €82.0

-18.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$114 €102

-21.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$900 €807

8.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$684 €613

-44.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,365 €1,223

25.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,016 €910

5.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,275 €2,935

20.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$2,247 €2,014

174.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,341 €1,201

-45.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.3

246.97%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$684 41.6% 79.6% $303

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$266 16.2% 4.5% $11

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$242 14.7% 19.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$190 11.6% 38.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$148 9% 32.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$62 3.8% 7.7% $5.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$50 3.1% 0.8% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. 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 83% higher in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $56 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $266 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

04:55 4:55 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,441

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Santa Cruz de La Palma 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 de La Palma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz de La Palma is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,464 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. That makes Playa del Carmen about 27% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Santa Cruz de La Palma at $1,643. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz de La Palma it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Cruz de La Palma makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.