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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 4.1% more expensive than Santa Tecla without rent, and 7.7% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 10% more expensive than Santa Tecla without rent, and 17.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 MX$205

$8.02 $8.02

47.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.16 MX$730

$35.08 $35.08

20.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$186

$6.96 $6.96

54.45%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$60.2

$3.18 $3.18

9.12%

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

$1.45 MX$25.17

$1.10 $1.10

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.64

$0.85 $0.85

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$52.9

$1.97 $1.97

54.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MX$76.5

$2.95 $2.95

49.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$23.72

$1.67 $1.67

-17.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MX$32.43

$1.97 $1.97

-5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$26.74

$1.55 $1.55

-0.65%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$43.36

$2.27 $2.27

10.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$149

$7.18 $7.18

19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 MX$150

$5.61 $5.61

53.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 MX$191

$11.05 $11.05

-0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$47.62

$3.20 $3.20

-14.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$24.73

$1.74 $1.74

-17.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.44

$2.63 $2.63

-28.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$37.54

$2.67 $2.67

-18.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$32.61

$2.23 $2.23

-15.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$38.91

$2.09 $2.09

7.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.49

$0.95 $0.95

12.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.59

$1.03 $1.03

3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$72.0

$3.92 $3.92

5.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MX$179

$11.06 $11.06

-6.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$29.08

$1.69 $1.69

-0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$43.02

$2.42 $2.42

2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.61

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$459

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$55.7

$5.62 $5.62

-42.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$42.98

$2.97 $2.97

-16.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$53.9

$19.63 $19.63

-84.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$21.75

$0.96 $0.96

31.25%

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

$30.7K MX$531.0K

$25.4K $25.4K

20.89%

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

$24.0K MX$416.4K

$27.8K $27.8K

-13.40%

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

$82.5 MX$1,429

$102 $102

-19.22%

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

$22.29 MX$386

$19.27 $19.27

15.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 MX$520

$40.86 $40.86

-26.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$891

$25.32 $25.32

103.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$317

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$86.3

$5.30 $5.30

-6.04%

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

$200 MX$3,464

$145 $145

37.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$91.9K

$6,054 $6,054

-12.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$618

$67.3 $67.3

-46.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$685

$42.63 $42.63

-7.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,395

$117 $117

-31.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,530

$106 $106

-16.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$16.8K

$805 $805

20.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,352

$592 $592

-18.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$27.6K

$1,193 $1,193

33.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$20.5K

$883 $883

34.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$70.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$113.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.1K

$409 $409

85.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

8.58

33.10%

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 Tecla: March 1, 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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