Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Isabel

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,298 in Santa Isabel, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Santa Isabel despite lower rent and utilities.

57

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

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
Learn more

Santa Isabel Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Santa Isabel

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 Isabel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,298 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Santa Isabel $1,298

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,045 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Santa Isabel $2,045

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,791 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Santa Isabel $2,791

Playa del Carmen is about 7% cheaper than Santa Isabel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Santa Isabel are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Santa Isabel 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$19.18 $19.18

-44.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$82.6 $82.6

-46.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.06 $9.06

30.13%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.61 $3.61

4.99%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.89 $1.89

-31.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.51 $1.51

-45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.02 $3.02

4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$5.07 $5.07

-2.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.31 $1.31

7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.40 $3.40

-35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.42 $2.42

-39.26%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$6.21 $6.21

-59.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$12.41 $12.41

-41.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$9.82 $9.82

-19.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.10 $13.10

-1.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$5.01 $5.01

-42.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.54 $2.54

-45.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$4.94 $4.94

-49.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$4.67 $4.67

-56.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$3.85 $3.85

-47.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.88 $3.88

-51.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$3.37 $3.37

-66.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$1.65 $1.65

-24.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$12.04 $12.04

-64.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$15.50 $15.50

-36.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$3.14 $3.14

-49.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.94 $3.94

-30.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.44 $2.44

95.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.66 $0.66

392.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$39.69 $39.69

-86.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.09 $1.09

40.37%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$35.1K $35.1K

-39.53%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$27.9K $27.9K

-16.70%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$318 $318

-73.72%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$68.5 $68.5

-66.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$71.1 $71.1

-61.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.62 $10.62

-52.92%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$826 $826

-74.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$12.0K $12.0K

-56.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$56.7 $56.7

-23.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$62.2 $62.2

-31.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$107 $107

-32.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$115 $115

-23.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.55

74.81%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Santa Isabel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Santa Isabel

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Santa Isabel

$398 30.6% 54.6% $140

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Santa Isabel

$263 20.2% 31.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Santa Isabel

$457 35.2% 241% $323

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8% 38% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6% 68% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4% 88.6% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $83 in Santa Isabel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $398 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

12:17 12:17 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

23,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Santa Isabel 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Santa Isabel

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 Isabel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Isabel is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,948 in Santa Isabel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,298 in Santa Isabel. That makes Playa del Carmen about 7% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $826 in Santa Isabel. 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,298 in Santa Isabel, 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,298 in Santa Isabel. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.