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 44.4% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 68.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 31.8% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 94.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$1.74 โ‚ฑ104
567.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$8.72 โ‚ฑ522
390.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$3.05 โ‚ฑ183
247.54%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.09 โ‚ฑ125
71.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.43 โ‚ฑ25.50
237.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.28 โ‚ฑ16.96
221.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.21 โ‚ฑ72.8
150.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$1.08 โ‚ฑ64.7
322.22%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.75 โ‚ฑ105
-17.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.20 โ‚ฑ72.1
52.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.07 โ‚ฑ64.4
50.47%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$1.65 โ‚ฑ99.1
53.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$5.16 โ‚ฑ309
65.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$4.20 โ‚ฑ252
101.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$7.24 โ‚ฑ434
50.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$1.57 โ‚ฑ93.9
73.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$0.52 โ‚ฑ30.90
186.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.58 โ‚ฑ94.8
22.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.65 โ‚ฑ98.6
30.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$2.85 โ‚ฑ171
-35.09%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$4.23 โ‚ฑ253
-48.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.63 โ‚ฑ97.4
-34.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.02 โ‚ฑ60.9
5.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$3.23 โ‚ฑ193
25.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$9.19 โ‚ฑ551
13.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.59 โ‚ฑ95.4
3.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.97 โ‚ฑ118
29.44%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.26 โ‚ฑ15.43
115.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$0.83 โ‚ฑ49.88
278.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.24 โ‚ฑ14.41
887.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$2.08 โ‚ฑ124
55.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.11 โ‚ฑ66.4
18.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$26.2K โ‚ฑ1.6M
16.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$20.2K โ‚ฑ1.2M
17.87%
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)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$96.3 โ‚ฑ5,769
-13.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$33.02 โ‚ฑ1,978
-32.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$29.42 โ‚ฑ1,763
-0.17%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$34.33 โ‚ฑ2,057
49.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$4.30 โ‚ฑ258
334.65%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$7.12 โ‚ฑ426
-31.32%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$80.6 โ‚ฑ4,827
146.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$2,764 โ‚ฑ165.6K
88.38%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$32.10 โ‚ฑ1,923
11.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$30.04 โ‚ฑ1,799
31.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$99.2 โ‚ฑ5,941
-19.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$92.3 โ‚ฑ5,529
-5.11%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$262 โ‚ฑ15.7K
267.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$174 โ‚ฑ10.4K
177.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$599 โ‚ฑ35.9K
174.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$395 โ‚ฑ23.7K
201.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$2,207 โ‚ฑ132.2K
79.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
-
-
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: April 12, 2026

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

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