Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santiago Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santiago

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 20% more expensive than Santiago without rent, and 1.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 12.6% cheaper than Santiago without rent, and 10.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$10.98 CLP 10.2K
9.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$53.8 CLP 50K
-21.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$8.21 CLP 7,636
27.53%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.23 CLP 3,004
11.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.77 CLP 1,645
-18.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$1.31 CLP 1,215
-32.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$3.18 CLP 2,958
-2.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$4.33 CLP 4,029
5.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.19 CLP 1,107
15.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.51 CLP 1,404
22.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$2.2 CLP 2,043
-28.64%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$4.05 CLP 3,770
-37.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$10.28 CLP 9,556
-16.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$6.8 CLP 6,325
25.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$11.01 CLP 10.2K
-0.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.05 CLP 1,905
32.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.54 CLP 1,435
-1.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.04 CLP 1,901
-7.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.85 CLP 1,722
18.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.88 CLP 1,752
-0.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.68 CLP 1,563
30.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.33 CLP 1,241
-19.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1.18 CLP 1,093
-7.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$5.55 CLP 5,159
-28.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$6.27 CLP 5,832
41.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.59 CLP 1,483
8.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.54 CLP 2,363
2.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.9 CLP 837
-42.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$42.21 CLP 39.3K
-37.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.51 CLP 478
535.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.47 CLP 1,367
61.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$11.63 CLP 10.8K
-73.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.44 CLP 1,337
-9.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$19.5K CLP 18.1M
55.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$23K CLP 21.4M
4.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$134 CLP 124.6K
-37.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$13.61 CLP 12.7K
62.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$22.36 CLP 20.8K
34.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$33.96 CLP 31.6K
53.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$20.81 CLP 19.3K
-10.04%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$6.38 CLP 5,931
-20.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$429 CLP 398.8K
-53.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$8,448 CLP 7.9M
-36.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$55.4 CLP 51.5K
-35.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$33.36 CLP 31K
19.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$75.5 CLP 70.2K
4.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$84.1 CLP 78.2K
5.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$503 CLP 467.6K
92.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$463 CLP 430.5K
2.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$992 CLP 922.3K
66.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$905 CLP 841.5K
32.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,650 CLP 2.5M
16.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$3,549 CLP 3.3M
112.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$837 CLP 778.3K
-5.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.18
120.46%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Santiago: October 27, 2025

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