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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 35.7% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 64.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 83.5% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 92.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$1.76 ₱102
573.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$9.05 ₱527
365.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$3.15 ₱184
241.27%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$2.09 ₱122
66.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$0.42 ₱24.62
245.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$0.26 ₱15.11
246.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$1.23 ₱71.4
147.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$1.08 ₱62.7
309.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.84 ₱107
-25.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$1.25 ₱73.0
49.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$1.04 ₱60.4
48.08%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$1.68 ₱97.8
48.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$5.40 ₱315
59.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$4.29 ₱250
101.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$7.28 ₱424
51.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$1.65 ₱95.8
66.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$0.51 ₱29.50
180.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$1.62 ₱94.5
15.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$1.72 ₱99.9
26.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$2.85 ₱166
-34.04%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$4.01 ₱234
-43.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$1.58 ₱91.9
-32.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$1.06 ₱61.7
0.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$3.10 ₱180
33.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$9.70 ₱565
6.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$1.56 ₱90.7
7.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$2.05 ₱119
20.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
$0.26 ₱14.97
111.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
$0.78 ₱45.27
312.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
$0.22 ₱12.78
1027.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
$2.19 ₱127
42.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$1.14 ₱66.4
10.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$25.2K ₱1.5M
21.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$20.2K ₱1.2M
19.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$94.5 ₱5,501
-12.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$32.79 ₱1,910
-32.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$30.34 ₱1,766
-1.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
$34.58 ₱2,013
48.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
$4.51 ₱263
305.54%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$7.14 ₱416
-30.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$80.8 ₱4,706
147.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$2,774 ₱161.5K
91.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$32.29 ₱1,880
10.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$29.46 ₱1,715
34.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$96.8 ₱5,635
-16.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$94.6 ₱5,506
-6.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
$265 ₱15.4K
265.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
$177 ₱10.3K
171.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$599 ₱34.9K
166.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$387 ₱22.5K
206.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
$2,574 ₱149.9K
57.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
$670 ₱39.0K
874.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
8.13
40.47%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: March 3, 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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