Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: $746 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

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 Lucía Milpas Altas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $746

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,243 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,243

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,740 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,740

Playa del Carmen costs about 61% more than Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Santa Lucía Milpas Altas are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$6.96 Q 53.1

53.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$49.15 Q 375

-10.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$7.74 Q 59.1

52.33%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$3.27 Q 24.97

15.90%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.15 Q 8.79

13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.99 Q 7.60

-16.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$3.33 Q 25.44

-5.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$4.73 Q 36.11

4.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$2.00 Q 15.24

-29.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$3.14 Q 23.99

-29.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$2.06 Q 15.70

-28.64%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.38 Q 18.17

5.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$6.25 Q 47.73

16.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$9.29 Q 71.0

-14.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$13.40 Q 102

-4.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$3.83 Q 29.27

-24.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.66 Q 12.69

-16.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$2.87 Q 21.88

-13.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.61 Q 12.28

26.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.54 Q 11.76

31.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$2.19 Q 16.73

-13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.74 Q 5.68

54.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.17 Q 8.90

5.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$4.04 Q 30.85

5.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$8.02 Q 61.3

22.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.74 Q 13.32

-8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.61 Q 19.95

5.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$5.31 Q 40.51

-10.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$10.43 Q 79.6

-48.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.33 Q 10.15

15.04%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$27.7K Q 211.9K

-23.56%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$25.6K Q 195.5K

-9.15%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$71.8 Q 548

16.25%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$28.67 Q 219

-19.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$46.52 Q 355

-40.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$6.66 Q 50.8

-24.92%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$337 Q 2,574

-38.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$6,557 Q 50.1K

-20.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$48.91 Q 373

-11.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$46.72 Q 357

-8.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$119 Q 910

-38.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$115 Q 874

-22.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.62

-1.46%

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 Lucía Milpas Altas: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $49 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $279 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇹 Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

12,234

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

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 Lucía Milpas Altas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,119 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas. 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 $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas. That makes Santa Lucía Milpas Altas about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $337 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, where all-in costs run around $746, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Santa Lucía Milpas Altas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.