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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 73.1% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 65.4% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 32.8% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 100.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$1.79 โ‚ฑ99.7
569.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$9.05 โ‚ฑ504
369.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$3.02 โ‚ฑ168
246.69%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.07 โ‚ฑ115
73.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.42 โ‚ฑ23.55
242.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.28 โ‚ฑ15.76
217.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.27 โ‚ฑ70.7
143.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$1.08 โ‚ฑ59.9
324.07%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.74 โ‚ฑ96.8
-20.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.26 โ‚ฑ70
46.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.04 โ‚ฑ58.1
50.96%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.73 โ‚ฑ96.2
47.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$5.41 โ‚ฑ301
59.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$4.23 โ‚ฑ235
101.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$7.08 โ‚ฑ394
55.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$1.56 โ‚ฑ87.1
74.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.52 โ‚ฑ28.75
190.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.62 โ‚ฑ90
16.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.65 โ‚ฑ91.9
32.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.75 โ‚ฑ153
-32.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$4.13 โ‚ฑ230
-46.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.62 โ‚ฑ90.2
-33.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1.05 โ‚ฑ58.3
3.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$3.21 โ‚ฑ179
23.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$7.84 โ‚ฑ437
13.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.57 โ‚ฑ87.2
9.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.97 โ‚ฑ110
32.49%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.26 โ‚ฑ14.39
100.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.81 โ‚ฑ45.31
300.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.24 โ‚ฑ13.39
891.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$2.07 โ‚ฑ116
50.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.1 โ‚ฑ61.1
19.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$25.3K โ‚ฑ1.4M
19.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$20.8K โ‚ฑ1.2M
15.49%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$97.6 โ‚ฑ5,434
-13.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$33.06 โ‚ฑ1,841
-33.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$30.51 โ‚ฑ1,699
-1.21%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$34.57 โ‚ฑ1,925
50.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$6.98 โ‚ฑ389
-27.36%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$81.9 โ‚ฑ4,562
144.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$2,807 โ‚ฑ156.3K
89.95%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$32.27 โ‚ฑ1,797
10.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$29.78 โ‚ฑ1,658
33.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$98.7 โ‚ฑ5,495
-19.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$92.3 โ‚ฑ5,138
-4.25%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$262 โ‚ฑ14.6K
267.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$174 โ‚ฑ9,700
172.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$599 โ‚ฑ33.3K
176.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$398 โ‚ฑ22.2K
201.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,238 โ‚ฑ124.6K
37.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
8.13
40.47%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 29, 2025

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