Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Monica, CA Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Monica, CA

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 35.1% cheaper than Santa Monica, CA without rent, and 71.9% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 49.8% cheaper than Santa Monica, CA without rent, and 68.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santa Monica, CA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$25.29 $25.29
-52.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$99.5 $99.5
-57.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$12.3 $12.3
-14.88%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$5.68 $5.68
-36.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$2.88 $2.88
-50.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$2.3 $2.3
-61.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$8.59 $8.59
-64.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$9.32 $9.32
-50.86%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santa Monica, CA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.18 $1.18
16.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$4.45 $4.45
-58.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$4.49 $4.49
-65.03%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$7.19 $7.19
-64.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$12.47 $12.47
-30.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$13.7 $13.7
-37.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$14.46 $14.46
-24.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$5.37 $5.37
-49.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.95 $1.95
-22.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$3.97 $3.97
-52.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$5.73 $5.73
-61.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.98 $2.98
-37.25%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.45 $2.45
-10.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.82 $1.82
-41.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$2.12 $2.12
-48.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$10.83 $10.83
-63.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$15.28 $15.28
-42.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.53 $2.53
-32.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$5.34 $5.34
-51.12%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santa Monica, CA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$2.08 $2.08
-75.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$81.5 $81.5
-67.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$3.15 $3.15
2.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.71 $1.71
39.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$29.08 $29.08
-89.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.24 $1.24
5.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$23.8K $23.8K
27.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$25.5K $25.5K
-5.86%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santa Monica, CA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$190 $190
-55.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$58.4 $58.4
-62.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$67 $67
-55.04%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santa Monica, CA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$122 $122
-57.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$44.73 $44.73
-58.15%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$18.03 $18.03
-71.88%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santa Monica, CA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$1,791 $1,791
-88.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$14.7K $14.7K
-63.83%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santa Monica, CA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$62.8 $62.8
-43.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$34.08 $34.08
16.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$102 $102
-22.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$153 $153
-42.15%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santa Monica, CA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$3,279 $3,279
-70.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$2,892 $2,892
-83.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$6,850 $6,850
-75.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$5,897 $5,897
-79.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$10.8K $10.8K
-71.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$8,171 $8,171
-7.86%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santa Monica, CA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$7,229 $7,229
-89.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.49
75.96%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Santa Monica, CA: October 27, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.