Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santo Domingo Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santo Domingo

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 13.3% more expensive than Santo Domingo without rent, and 16.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 16.2% cheaper than Santo Domingo without rent, and 18.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$8.44 DOP 497
42.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$51.2 DOP 3,016
-17.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$7.6 DOP 447
37.76%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.63 DOP 155
36.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1 DOP 58.7
44.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.77 DOP 45.49
15.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.49 DOP 147
24.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$4.96 DOP 292
-7.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.38 DOP 81.3
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.74 DOP 102
6.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.49 DOP 87.9
5.37%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.21 DOP 130
15.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$7.32 DOP 431
17.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$6.41 DOP 377
33.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$10.99 DOP 647
-0.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.34 DOP 197
-18.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.9 DOP 53.2
67.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.93 DOP 172
-35.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.92 DOP 113
14.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.46 DOP 145
-23.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.29 DOP 135
-4.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.09 DOP 64.1
-1.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.94 DOP 55.6
15.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$5.86 DOP 345
-32.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$12.3 DOP 724
-27.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.77 DOP 163
-37.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$3.21 DOP 189
-18.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.6 DOP 35.59
-13.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$68.4 DOP 4,024
-61.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$3.31 DOP 195
-2.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$2.14 DOP 126
11.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$6 DOP 354
-48.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.31 DOP 77.1
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$26.9K DOP 1.6M
12.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$32K DOP 1.9M
-24.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$77 DOP 4,534
9.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$25 DOP 1,472
-11.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$35.56 DOP 2,093
-15.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$36.33 DOP 2,139
43.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$14.4 DOP 848
30.00%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$6.83 DOP 402
-25.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$265 DOP 15.6K
-24.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$8,208 DOP 483.2K
-35.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$61.1 DOP 3,597
-41.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$50.9 DOP 2,996
-21.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$97.5 DOP 5,742
-19.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$116 DOP 6,853
-24.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$560 DOP 32.9K
72.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$289 DOP 17K
64.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,197 DOP 70.5K
38.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$685 DOP 40.3K
75.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,404 DOP 82.6K
119.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$908 DOP 53.4K
729.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$580 DOP 34.1K
36.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
12.9
-11.47%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 28, 2025

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