Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Cruz, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,285 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
Learn more

Santa Cruz Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,285

/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 $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,285 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Santa Cruz $1,285

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,988 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Santa Cruz $1,988

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,690 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Santa Cruz $2,690

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper 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 12% lower, Santa Cruz 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.37 JMD 1,165

48.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$63.6 JMD 10.0K

-31.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.45 JMD 1,018

82.64%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$5.34 JMD 844

-28.65%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.16 JMD 183

10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.75 JMD 119

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.26 JMD 357

40.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$3.08 JMD 486

60.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$4.04 JMD 639

-65.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$2.58 JMD 407

-13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.57 JMD 248

-9.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$3.47 JMD 549

-27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.33 JMD 1,790

-35.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.40 JMD 1,012

20.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$10.41 JMD 1,644

21.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$5.97 JMD 943

-53.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$3.83 JMD 605

-64.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$7.43 JMD 1,173

-65.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$3.01 JMD 475

-29.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$3.32 JMD 524

-41.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$2.64 JMD 417

-28.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$3.01 JMD 476

-61.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.45 JMD 230

-18.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$9.47 JMD 1,497

-54.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$11.53 JMD 1,821

-13.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.89 JMD 457

-45.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$4.01 JMD 633

-33.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$1.27 JMD 201

291.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$3.12 JMD 493

6.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$6.12 JMD 968

-12.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.39 JMD 220

3.60%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-53.92%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

-27.92%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$166 JMD 26.3K

-48.97%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$29.57 JMD 4,673

-20.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$51.8 JMD 8,181

-44.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$38.40 JMD 6,067

48.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$13.44 JMD 2,123

-61.76%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$359 JMD 56.7K

-42.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$8,104 JMD 1.3M

-51.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$23.66 JMD 3,738

83.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$31.85 JMD 5,032

30.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$78.3 JMD 12.4K

-5.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$101 JMD 15.9K

-11.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$311 JMD 49.1K

22.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$499 JMD 78.9K

115.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$408 JMD 64.5K

80.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.45

21.16%

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: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Santa Cruz

$311 24.2% 18.4% $70

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Santa Cruz

$371 28.9% 45.8% $117

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Santa Cruz

$168 13% 17.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Santa Cruz

$248 19.3% 80.9% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2% 5.5% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Santa Cruz

$65 5.1% 3% $2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Santa Cruz

$17 * 1.3% 66.5% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 80% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $64 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $371 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

8,217

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Santa Cruz 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min 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 – Santa Cruz is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,928 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,285 in Santa Cruz. That makes Playa del Carmen about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $359 in Santa Cruz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,285 in Santa Cruz, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 $1,285 in Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.