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 22.6% more expensive than Santiago without rent, and 10.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 8.9% cheaper than Santiago without rent, and 13.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

$4.48 PAB 4.48

165.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

$30.31 PAB 30.31

38.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

$4.97 PAB 4.97

112.27%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

$3.65 PAB 3.65

-1.37%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MX$26.45

$0.67 PAB 0.67

123.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

$0.76 PAB 0.76

19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

$1.01 PAB 1.01

204.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

$1.96 PAB 1.96

128.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$24.54

$1.88 PAB 1.88

-26.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 MX$33.47

$2.46 PAB 2.46

-22.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$28.27

$2.50 PAB 2.50

-36.00%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.97

$2.85 PAB 2.85

-8.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

$11.39 PAB 11.39

-26.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 MX$152

$7.06 PAB 7.06

22.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 MX$192

$9.82 PAB 9.82

11.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

$3.28 PAB 3.28

-20.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.46

$1.49 PAB 1.49

-3.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

$2.78 PAB 2.78

-29.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

$3.14 PAB 3.14

-32.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.87

$2.30 PAB 2.30

-19.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 MX$39.20

$2.88 PAB 2.88

-22.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

$2.16 PAB 2.16

-52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.36

$1.59 PAB 1.59

-34.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 MX$71.5

$5.83 PAB 5.83

-30.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MX$180

$9.84 PAB 9.84

3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$29.79

$1.26 PAB 1.26

34.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$46.25

$2.42 PAB 2.42

8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

$2.49 PAB 2.49

26.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

$1.79 PAB 1.79

37.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

$22.43 PAB 22.43

-85.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

$0.92 PAB 0.92

43.48%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.1K MX$531.0K

$19.6K PAB 19.6K

53.44%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.8K MX$419.3K

$20.6K PAB 20.6K

15.36%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83.5 MX$1,474

$120 PAB 120

-30.23%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.86 MX$404

$15.10 PAB 15.10

51.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

$43.43 PAB 43.43

-30.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

$8.02 PAB 8.02

-36.16%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$201 MX$3,541

$481 PAB 481

-58.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

$15.6K PAB 15.6K

-65.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

$50.5 PAB 50.5

-29.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

$45.57 PAB 45.57

-11.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

$89.4 PAB 89.4

-11.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

$121 PAB 121

-26.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

$452 PAB 452

109.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

$642 PAB 642

-24.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

$656 PAB 656

143.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

$1,101 PAB 1,101

9.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 MX$12.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

6.23

83.31%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Santiago: January 11, 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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