Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Marta Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Marta

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 77.1% more expensive than Santa Marta without rent, and 17.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 57.2% more expensive than Santa Marta without rent, and 72.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$3.70 COP 13.9K
220.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$28.72 COP 108.1K
46.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$6.09 COP 22.9K
76.52%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$1.51 COP 5,678
129.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$0.68 COP 2,558
113.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$0.44 COP 1,641
104.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$0.83 COP 3,130
267.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$1.64 COP 6,162
169.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.17 COP 4,401
17.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$1.20 COP 4,510
55.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$0.95 COP 3,580
62.11%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$2.45 COP 9,216
2.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$3.60 COP 13.5K
139.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$3.92 COP 14.8K
120.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$7.71 COP 29.0K
42.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$1.79 COP 6,729
53.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$0.72 COP 2,707
98.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$1.02 COP 3,858
83.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$0.74 COP 2,800
193.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$0.52 COP 1,944
261.54%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$0.98 COP 3,689
129.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$1.01 COP 3,819
5.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$0.51 COP 1,921
109.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$2.41 COP 9,087
72.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$9.91 COP 37.3K
4.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$1.46 COP 5,500
15.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$1.43 COP 5,369
73.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
$0.66 COP 2,472
-16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
$14.66 COP 55.2K
80.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
$1.74 COP 6,562
85.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
$1.79 COP 6,729
38.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
$8.31 COP 31.3K
-62.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$0.98 COP 3,670
28.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$21.2K COP 79.6M
44.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$26.2K COP 98.8M
-8.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$198 COP 744.3K
-58.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$8.61 COP 32.4K
158.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$24.46 COP 92.0K
22.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
$19.41 COP 73.0K
165.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
$7.65 COP 28.8K
139.08%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$4.74 COP 17.8K
5.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$166 COP 625.5K
20.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$4,937 COP 18.6M
7.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$39.81 COP 149.8K
-10.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$35.97 COP 135.4K
9.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$78.5 COP 295.4K
2.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$58.2 COP 218.9K
51.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
$286 COP 1.1M
239.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
$447 COP 1.7M
7.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$687 COP 2.6M
132.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$550 COP 2.1M
115.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
$1,899 COP 7.1M
113.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
$914 COP 3.4M
613.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
$408 COP 1.5M
85.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
8.62
32.48%

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 Marta: March 2, 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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