Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Cruz do Sul Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Cruz do Sul

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 44.8% more expensive than Santa Cruz do Sul without rent, and 45.5% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 42.3% more expensive than Santa Cruz do Sul without rent, and 59.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$4.48 R$23.51
164.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$27.43 R$144
53.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$4.55 R$23.89
136.26%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$1.61 R$8.44
115.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$1.17 R$6.14
23.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.78 R$4.08
15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.10 R$11.04
45.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$2.66 R$13.96
66.17%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$0.85 R$4.47
61.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$1.39 R$7.31
34.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.09 R$5.70
41.28%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$2.08 R$10.91
20.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$10.77 R$56.6
-20.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$4.60 R$24.16
87.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$9.61 R$50.4
14.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$2.05 R$10.75
34.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.26 R$6.61
13.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.32 R$6.95
41.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.45 R$7.59
49.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.09 R$5.71
72.48%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.08 R$5.66
108.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.74 R$3.87
44.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.61 R$3.23
75.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$1.96 R$10.28
111.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$7.78 R$40.86
32.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.02 R$5.34
64.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$1.80 R$9.44
37.78%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.88 R$4.61
-37.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$38.68 R$203
-31.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$1.61 R$8.45
100.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$1.01 R$5.31
145.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$5.30 R$27.81
-41.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.07 R$5.61
17.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$23.8K R$125.2K
28.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$28.0K R$147.0K
-14.14%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$59.5 R$312
38.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$14.39 R$75.5
54.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$20.01 R$105
50.02%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$22.46 R$118
129.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$21.28 R$112
-14.05%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$6.42 R$33.71
-22.43%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$311 R$1,631
-35.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$7,255 R$38.1K
-26.89%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$49.27 R$259
-27.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$58.0 R$305
-31.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$80.7 R$424
-0.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$62.0 R$325
42.52%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$502 R$2,634
93.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$281 R$1,473
71.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$843 R$4,424
89.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$558 R$2,929
112.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$381 R$1,999
98.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10
14.20%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: March 1, 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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