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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 98.4% more expensive than Santiago City without rent, and 90.6% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 47% more expensive than Santiago City without rent, and 114.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$6.54 โ‚ฑ392
77.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$13.05 โ‚ฑ782
227.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$3.49 โ‚ฑ209
203.72%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$0.91 โ‚ฑ54.4
294.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.78 โ‚ฑ46.46
85.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.31 โ‚ฑ18.30
190.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.03 โ‚ฑ61.9
194.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$1.82 โ‚ฑ109
150.55%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.58 โ‚ฑ94.9
-8.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.20 โ‚ฑ72.2
52.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$0.76 โ‚ฑ45.78
111.84%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$1.58 โ‚ฑ94.7
60.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$2.54 โ‚ฑ152
236.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$3.18 โ‚ฑ190
166.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$5.51 โ‚ฑ330
97.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.66 โ‚ฑ159
2.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.02 โ‚ฑ61.1
46.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$0.70 โ‚ฑ41.69
177.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.44 โ‚ฑ86.2
50.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$3.45 โ‚ฑ207
-46.38%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.13 โ‚ฑ67.8
93.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.76 โ‚ฑ45.29
40.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.94 โ‚ฑ56.0
14.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$2.33 โ‚ฑ140
74.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$3.91 โ‚ฑ234
167.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.03 โ‚ฑ61.7
60.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.76 โ‚ฑ105
44.89%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.26 โ‚ฑ15.40
115.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$0.76 โ‚ฑ45.83
313.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.12 โ‚ฑ7.21
1875.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$3.50 โ‚ฑ209
-7.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.15 โ‚ฑ68.8
13.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$22.0K โ‚ฑ1.3M
39.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$17.5K โ‚ฑ1.0M
36.13%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$74.9 โ‚ฑ4,489
10.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$26.93 โ‚ฑ1,613
-17.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$22.75 โ‚ฑ1,363
29.10%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$34.33 โ‚ฑ2,057
49.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$4.42 โ‚ฑ265
322.85%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$5.38 โ‚ฑ322
-9.11%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$88.8 โ‚ฑ5,318
123.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$4,279 โ‚ฑ256.3K
21.71%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$41.76 โ‚ฑ2,502
-13.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$23.73 โ‚ฑ1,422
65.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$53.5 โ‚ฑ3,207
50.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$40.10 โ‚ฑ2,402
118.35%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$265 โ‚ฑ15.9K
263.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$179 โ‚ฑ10.8K
168.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$580 โ‚ฑ34.8K
183.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$397 โ‚ฑ23.8K
200.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$2,491 โ‚ฑ149.2K
58.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santiago City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$230 โ‚ฑ13.8K
215.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.67
71.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Santiago City: April 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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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