Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Marta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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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

$1,204

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Santa Marta $1,447

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,693 in Santa Marta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Santa Marta $1,693

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,939 in Santa Marta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Santa Marta $1,939

Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper than Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Santa Marta is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.86 COP 12.5K

-1.30%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.59 COP 5,139

-11.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.17 COP 6,992

2.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.22 COP 3,924

16.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.46 COP 7,942

2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.39 COP 27.1K

-13.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.57 COP 30.9K

-19.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$11.26 COP 36.4K

12.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.13 COP 13.3K

-32.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.04 COP 3,359

31.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.11 COP 3,600

129.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.99 COP 6,433

6.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.93 COP 2,990

108.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.54 COP 4,972

22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.96 COP 3,085

19.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.62 COP 1,989

90.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.13 COP 13.3K

4.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$17.52 COP 56.6K

-43.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.45 COP 4,684

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.40 COP 4,533

90.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.96 COP 3,108

-42.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.07 COP 9,921

61.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.35 COP 4,352

6.67%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$23.6K COP 76.2M

-12.44%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$34.2K COP 110.3M

-31.34%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$159 COP 512.4K

-46.57%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$9.23 COP 29.8K

153.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$21.79 COP 70.3K

31.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$31.36 COP 101.2K

81.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.27 COP 17.0K

-2.47%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$10.9K COP 35.1M

-63.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$86.4 COP 279.0K

-49.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$62.8 COP 202.7K

-33.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$92.6 COP 299.0K

-19.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$86.7 COP 279.8K

3.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,096 COP 3.5M

-10.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$752 COP 2.4M

-49.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,095 COP 3.5M

56.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$620 COP 2.0M

73.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,110 COP 3.6M

255.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,191 COP 3.8M

417.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$526 COP 1.7M

39.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

19.54

-41.40%

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 Marta: 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 Marta

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Santa Marta

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Santa Marta

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Santa Marta

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Santa Marta

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Santa Marta

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Santa Marta

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,096 in Santa Marta. 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 40% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

500,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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 = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Santa Marta 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Santa Marta

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 Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Marta is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,171 in Santa Marta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,096 in Santa Marta.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,447 in Santa Marta. That makes Playa del Carmen about 17% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Santa Marta, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,447 in Santa Marta. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.