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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 10.2% more expensive than Santa Tecla without rent, and 6.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 14.9% cheaper than Santa Tecla without rent, and 18.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$7.81 $7.81
53.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$35.39 $35.39
20.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$7.2 $7.2
45.42%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.31 $3.31
8.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.1 $1.1
30.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.86 $0.86
3.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.95 $1.95
58.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$3.04 $3.04
50.66%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.67 $1.67
-17.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$2.02 $2.02
-8.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.5 $1.5
4.67%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.37 $2.37
7.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$7.1 $7.1
21.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$5.36 $5.36
59.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$10.72 $10.72
2.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.1 $3.1
-12.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.72 $1.72
-12.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.6 $2.6
-27.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$2.71 $2.71
-19.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.22 $2.22
-15.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.21 $2.21
-0.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.94 $0.94
13.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1.02 $1.02
6.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.1 $4.1
-3.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$10.04 $10.04
-11.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.75 $1.75
-1.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.51 $2.51
3.98%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$5.6 $5.6
-42.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$2.97 $2.97
-19.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$20.12 $20.12
-84.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1 $1
31.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$25.1K $25.1K
20.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$28.1K $28.1K
-14.64%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$104 $104
-18.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$19.19 $19.19
15.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$41.99 $41.99
-28.22%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$25.19 $25.19
106.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.22 $5.22
-2.87%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$147 $147
36.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,034 $6,034
-11.62%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$66.9 $66.9
-46.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$44.07 $44.07
-9.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$115 $115
-31.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$107 $107
-17.14%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$797 $797
21.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$595 $595
-20.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,179 $1,179
40.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$889 $889
35.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
8.58
33.10%

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 Tecla: October 28, 2025

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