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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 24.7% more expensive than Santiago del Estero without rent, and 31.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 6.6% more expensive than Santiago del Estero without rent, and 41% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santiago del Estero
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$10.43 ARS 14.2K
11.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$33.49 ARS 45.6K
27.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$9.15 ARS 12.4K
15.85%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.68 ARS 3,639
33.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$1.73 ARS 2,349
-16.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$1.55 ARS 2,113
-41.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.08 ARS 2,827
45.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$2.98 ARS 4,051
53.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santiago del Estero
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.30 ARS 1,770
11.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.62 ARS 2,205
12.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.94 ARS 2,634
-17.01%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.17 ARS 2,955
17.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$10.25 ARS 13.9K
-16.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$6.06 ARS 8,241
39.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$9.26 ARS 12.6K
17.28%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$1.98 ARS 2,688
37.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$2.13 ARS 2,902
-30.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.31 ARS 1,787
48.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$2.59 ARS 3,525
-16.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.14 ARS 1,546
62.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.24 ARS 1,681
76.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.33 ARS 1,806
-19.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.44 ARS 1,965
-25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$3.10 ARS 4,222
30.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$4.53 ARS 6,154
130.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$2.06 ARS 2,802
-19.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$3.05 ARS 4,154
-16.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santiago del Estero
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.78 ARS 1,060
-28.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.53 ARS 2,079
105.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.91 ARS 1,242
160.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$6.11 ARS 8,314
-46.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.07 ARS 1,455
22.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$27.3K ARS 37.1M
11.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$29.9K ARS 40.7M
-20.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santiago del Estero
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$67.9 ARS 92.4K
22.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$17.10 ARS 23.2K
29.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$22.33 ARS 30.4K
31.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santiago del Estero
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$26.25 ARS 35.7K
95.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$13.57 ARS 18.5K
37.73%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$6.23 ARS 8,466
-21.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santiago del Estero
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$218 ARS 296.4K
-8.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$2,686 ARS 3.7M
93.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santiago del Estero
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$72.9 ARS 99.1K
-50.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$69.2 ARS 94.1K
-43.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$117 ARS 158.9K
-31.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$110 ARS 149.4K
-20.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santiago del Estero
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$336 ARS 456.3K
187.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$239 ARS 324.6K
101.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$678 ARS 922.3K
142.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$539 ARS 733.0K
121.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$1,993 ARS 2.7M
98.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santiago del Estero
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
58.5
-80.48%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Santiago del Estero: April 12, 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

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities