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 7.2% more expensive than Santiago without rent, and 1.9% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 5.2% more expensive than Santiago without rent, and 8.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$10.60 CLP 9,342
11.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$54.5 CLP 48.0K
-22.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$8.19 CLP 7,221
31.26%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$3.26 CLP 2,874
6.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$1.70 CLP 1,496
-14.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$1.31 CLP 1,152
-31.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$3.19 CLP 2,808
-4.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$4.23 CLP 3,726
4.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.22 CLP 1,078
12.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.53 CLP 1,349
22.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$2.18 CLP 1,924
-29.36%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$4.03 CLP 3,550
-37.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$10.61 CLP 9,354
-18.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$6.84 CLP 6,025
26.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$11.00 CLP 9,691
0.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$2.02 CLP 1,780
36.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.55 CLP 1,366
-7.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$2.13 CLP 1,878
-12.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.93 CLP 1,704
12.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.94 CLP 1,709
-3.09%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.60 CLP 1,414
40.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$1.29 CLP 1,134
-17.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$1.19 CLP 1,050
-10.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$5.60 CLP 4,937
-25.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$6.74 CLP 5,944
53.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.55 CLP 1,362
8.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.59 CLP 2,286
-4.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.86 CLP 759
-36.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$42.11 CLP 37.1K
-37.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$0.48 CLP 422
570.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$1.46 CLP 1,285
69.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$11.38 CLP 10.0K
-72.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.44 CLP 1,269
-12.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$19.3K CLP 17.0M
58.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$22.3K CLP 19.7M
7.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$134 CLP 118.2K
-38.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$13.54 CLP 11.9K
64.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$21.89 CLP 19.3K
37.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$34.19 CLP 30.1K
50.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$21.27 CLP 18.7K
-14.01%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$6.40 CLP 5,637
-22.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$429 CLP 378.2K
-53.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$8,485 CLP 7.5M
-37.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$56.5 CLP 49.8K
-36.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$32.83 CLP 28.9K
20.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$77.3 CLP 68.1K
4.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$83.5 CLP 73.5K
5.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$519 CLP 457.2K
86.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$454 CLP 400.5K
6.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$993 CLP 875.3K
60.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$904 CLP 796.8K
30.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$2,854 CLP 2.5M
41.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$3,034 CLP 2.7M
114.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santiago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$849 CLP 748.1K
-10.89%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Santiago: March 3, 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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