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 105.6% more expensive than Santa Marta without rent, and 19.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 52.7% more expensive than Santa Marta without rent, and 69.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$3.58 COP 12.9K
224.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$28.44 COP 102.4K
50.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$5.91 COP 21.3K
79.36%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$1.56 COP 5,606
130.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.73 COP 2,637
98.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.43 COP 1,558
109.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$0.86 COP 3,100
252.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$1.66 COP 5,973
174.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.13 COP 4,065
28.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.20 COP 4,318
52.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$0.91 COP 3,261
76.92%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.38 COP 8,557
6.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$3.57 COP 12.9K
139.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$3.84 COP 13.8K
120.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$7.97 COP 28.7K
36.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$1.80 COP 6,487
51.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$0.75 COP 2,690
98.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$0.98 COP 3,523
97.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$0.76 COP 2,723
184.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$0.54 COP 1,953
242.59%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.01 COP 3,632
116.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.00 COP 3,611
7.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.51 COP 1,852
111.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$2.50 COP 9,016
62.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$10.31 COP 37.1K
1.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.41 COP 5,073
17.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.43 COP 5,139
78.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.68 COP 2,445
-17.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$14.29 COP 51.4K
83.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.68 COP 6,056
86.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$1.83 COP 6,577
29.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$8.35 COP 30.1K
-61.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$0.91 COP 3,272
43.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$21.7K COP 78.1M
40.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$25.8K COP 93.0M
-7.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$196 COP 705.3K
-57.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$8.68 COP 31.3K
155.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$23.74 COP 85.5K
23.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$19.50 COP 70.2K
162.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$7.86 COP 28.3K
137.79%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$4.97 COP 17.9K
-1.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$163 COP 588.3K
21.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$4,797 COP 17.3M
8.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$40.52 COP 145.9K
-11.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$35.89 COP 129.2K
9.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$80.2 COP 288.8K
0.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$58.8 COP 211.8K
48.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$283 COP 1.0M
240.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$452 COP 1.6M
6.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$699 COP 2.5M
135.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$546 COP 2.0M
118.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$1,921 COP 6.9M
105.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$971 COP 3.5M
570.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$440 COP 1.6M
65.03%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: April 13, 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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