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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 87.5% more expensive than Santiago City without rent, and 90% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 126.8% more expensive than Santiago City without rent, and 117.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$6.52 ₱382
81.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$13.03 ₱762
223.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$3.51 ₱206
206.27%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$0.92 ₱53.5
277.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.76 ₱44.66
90.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.31 ₱17.89
190.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$1.03 ₱60.5
196.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$1.76 ₱103
151.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.65 ₱96.5
-16.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.27 ₱74.0
47.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$0.81 ₱47.62
90.12%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$1.53 ₱89.5
63.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$2.58 ₱151
233.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$3.23 ₱189
167.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$5.58 ₱326
97.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$2.72 ₱159
1.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.03 ₱60.2
38.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.73 ₱42.66
156.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.48 ₱86.3
46.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$3.35 ₱196
-43.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.08 ₱63.2
108.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.79 ₱46.47
35.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.95 ₱55.4
12.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$2.26 ₱132
83.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$4.19 ₱245
146.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.04 ₱60.6
61.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$1.68 ₱98.5
47.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.28 ₱16.57
96.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$0.82 ₱47.98
292.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$0.13 ₱7.65
1807.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$3.49 ₱204
-10.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.09 ₱63.8
15.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$21.7K ₱1.3M
41.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$17.2K ₱1.0M
39.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$75.4 ₱4,411
9.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$26.99 ₱1,579
-17.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$23.31 ₱1,363
28.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$33.58 ₱1,965
53.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$4.35 ₱254
320.46%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$5.45 ₱319
-8.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$87.6 ₱5,125
128.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$4,349 ₱254.4K
21.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$41.71 ₱2,440
-14.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$23.66 ₱1,384
67.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$52.7 ₱3,084
52.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$39.78 ₱2,327
122.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$261 ₱15.3K
271.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$176 ₱10.3K
174.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$590 ₱34.5K
170.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$398 ₱23.3K
197.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$2,558 ₱149.7K
58.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$738 ₱43.2K
783.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$234 ₱13.7K
223.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.67
71.21%

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 City: February 28, 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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