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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 37% more expensive than Santo Domingo Este without rent, and 60.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 17.1% more expensive than Santo Domingo Este without rent, and 61.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$8.56 DOP 504
40.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$42.26 DOP 2,488
0.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$7.26 DOP 427
44.21%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.34 DOP 78.7
168.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.03 DOP 60.5
39.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.53 DOP 30.92
67.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.52 DOP 149
22.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$3.35 DOP 197
36.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.24 DOP 73.2
11.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.75 DOP 103
5.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.57 DOP 92.7
-
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.79 DOP 105
42.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$7.27 DOP 428
18.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$3.52 DOP 207
142.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$6.81 DOP 401
61.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.27 DOP 192
-16.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.73 DOP 43.07
106.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.89 DOP 111
-0.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.38 DOP 81
58.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$0.93 DOP 55
101.08%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.81 DOP 106
20.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.09 DOP 64.3
-1.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.9 DOP 53
21.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$5.84 DOP 344
-32.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$10.95 DOP 644
-19.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.66 DOP 97.9
3.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.24 DOP 132
16.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.87 DOP 51.1
-40.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$33.43 DOP 1,968
-20.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$3.47 DOP 204
-6.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$2.17 DOP 128
9.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$5.86 DOP 345
-46.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.26 DOP 74.3
3.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$26.6K DOP 1.6M
13.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$31.3K DOP 1.8M
-23.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$40.54 DOP 2,386
107.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$17.7 DOP 1,042
25.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$35.72 DOP 2,103
-15.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$28.6 DOP 1,684
81.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$8.5 DOP 501
120.24%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.87 DOP 345
-13.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$270 DOP 15.9K
-25.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$5,872 DOP 345.7K
-9.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$41.81 DOP 2,461
-14.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$50.9 DOP 2,996
-21.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$65.4 DOP 3,851
20.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$59.4 DOP 3,499
48.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$448 DOP 26.4K
115.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$167 DOP 9,860
183.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,078 DOP 63.5K
53.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$476 DOP 28K
152.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$250 DOP 14.7K
2915.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$453 DOP 26.7K
74.69%
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 Este: October 28, 2025

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