Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
Learn more

Santa Maria Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $732 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Santa Maria $732

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,224 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Santa Maria $1,224

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,715 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Santa Maria $1,715

Playa del Carmen costs about 64% more than Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Santa Maria are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Santa Maria 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.61 R$30.22

94.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$33.42 R$180

29.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.46 R$34.77

82.35%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.70 R$9.16

124.12%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.03 R$5.54

24.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.62 R$3.31

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.51 R$8.11

109.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.26 R$22.92

15.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.02 R$5.47

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.48 R$7.94

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.42 R$7.64

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.74 R$9.39

44.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.55 R$46.00

-15.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.71 R$19.95

107.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.82 R$42.06

62.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.26 R$12.18

23.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.38 R$7.43

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.01 R$10.83

26.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.37 R$7.40

54.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.13 R$6.08

71.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.28 R$6.90

47.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.87 R$4.68

32.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.82 R$4.41

43.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.20 R$11.85

95.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.58 R$40.79

31.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.21 R$6.50

30.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.75 R$14.83

-2.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.22 R$6.57

-54.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$42.50 R$229

-37.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.18 R$6.34

321.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.79 R$4.24

321.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$7.72 R$41.53

-30.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.17 R$6.30

23.08%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$22.9K R$123.4K

-9.87%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$30.0K R$161.7K

-21.91%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$51.1 R$275

65.86%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$15.89 R$85.5

47.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$17.02 R$91.6

68.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$22.47 R$121

153.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$11.14 R$60.0

159.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.46 R$29.39

-5.86%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$147 R$790

40.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$2,764 R$14.9K

42.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$59.1 R$318

-26.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$41.62 R$224

-0.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$92.8 R$499

-20.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$60.1 R$323

48.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$282 R$1,517

247.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$155 R$835

145.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$608 R$3,270

181.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$370 R$1,991

190.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,633 R$8,787

141.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$677 R$3,646

809.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$591 R$3,179

24.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Santa Maria

$155 21.2% 59.3% $226

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Santa Maria

$186 25.4% 27.1% $69

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Santa Maria

$107 14.7% 46.9% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Santa Maria

$84 11.5% 38.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Santa Maria

$114 15.6% 2.1% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Santa Maria

$33 4.6% 50.4% $34

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Santa Maria

$53 7.2% 4.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $282 in Santa Maria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $33 in Santa Maria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $186 – making Santa Maria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

07:07 7:07 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

271,735

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Santa Maria 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Santa Maria

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 Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,098 in Santa Maria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Maria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $732 in Santa Maria. That makes Santa Maria about 39% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Maria, where all-in costs run around $732, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Santa Maria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Maria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Maria. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.