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 24.6% more expensive than Santo Domingo Este without rent, and 59.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 14% more expensive than Santo Domingo Este without rent, and 61.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$8.58 DOP 515
38.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$42.83 DOP 2,568
-1.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$7.22 DOP 433
48.89%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$1.33 DOP 79.5
160.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.98 DOP 58.8
47.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.49 DOP 29.24
83.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$2.61 DOP 157
16.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$3.42 DOP 205
29.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.28 DOP 76.7
7.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.73 DOP 104
8.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.57 DOP 94.3
-1.91%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$1.75 DOP 105
42.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$7.09 DOP 425
21.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$3.54 DOP 212
143.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$6.88 DOP 413
60.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$3.34 DOP 200
-17.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$0.79 DOP 47.62
81.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.97 DOP 118
-5.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.39 DOP 83.5
56.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$0.94 DOP 56.4
100.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.76 DOP 106
27.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$1.14 DOP 68.1
-6.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.91 DOP 54.3
17.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$5.84 DOP 350
-28.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$11.57 DOP 694
-10.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.66 DOP 99.4
1.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.33 DOP 139
6.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.82 DOP 49.42
-32.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$34.41 DOP 2,063
-22.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$3.38 DOP 203
-4.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$2.14 DOP 128
15.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$5.86 DOP 351
-46.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.23 DOP 73.7
2.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$26.0K DOP 1.6M
17.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$31.7K DOP 1.9M
-24.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$39.88 DOP 2,391
106.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$17.87 DOP 1,072
24.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$36.62 DOP 2,195
-18.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$27.98 DOP 1,678
83.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$8.65 DOP 519
111.45%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$5.98 DOP 359
-16.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$266 DOP 15.9K
-24.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$5,953 DOP 356.9K
-10.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$42.58 DOP 2,553
-16.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$51.9 DOP 3,112
-23.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$65.4 DOP 3,922
23.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$59.9 DOP 3,593
47.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$451 DOP 27.0K
115.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$168 DOP 10.1K
186.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$1,087 DOP 65.2K
46.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$473 DOP 28.3K
150.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo Este
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$611 DOP 36.7K
23.73%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo Este: March 2, 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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