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 1.6% cheaper than Santo Domingo without rent, and 16.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 15.5% cheaper than Santo Domingo without rent, and 20.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$8.53 DOP 509
36.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$50.4 DOP 3,012
-15.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$7.56 DOP 452
40.21%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.73 DOP 163
31.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$1.00 DOP 59.6
45.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.80 DOP 47.79
12.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.58 DOP 154
17.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$5.23 DOP 312
-12.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.39 DOP 83.2
4.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.74 DOP 104
5.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.56 DOP 93.1
3.21%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.20 DOP 131
15.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$6.93 DOP 414
23.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$6.17 DOP 369
37.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$11.18 DOP 668
-2.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$3.31 DOP 198
-17.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$0.92 DOP 55.1
61.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$3.00 DOP 179
-35.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.91 DOP 114
13.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$2.56 DOP 153
-27.73%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$2.29 DOP 137
-4.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.10 DOP 65.7
-2.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.91 DOP 54.3
18.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$5.79 DOP 346
-29.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$11.26 DOP 673
-7.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$2.76 DOP 165
-40.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$3.17 DOP 189
-19.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.56 DOP 33.66
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$66.7 DOP 3,984
-60.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$3.32 DOP 198
-5.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$2.19 DOP 131
8.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$6.10 DOP 364
-46.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.34 DOP 79.8
-2.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$26.2K DOP 1.6M
16.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$32.0K DOP 1.9M
-25.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$74.8 DOP 4,470
11.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$25.69 DOP 1,535
-13.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$35.47 DOP 2,119
-17.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$36.09 DOP 2,156
41.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$14.50 DOP 866
28.90%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$6.75 DOP 403
-27.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$272 DOP 16.3K
-27.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$8,063 DOP 481.7K
-35.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$61.0 DOP 3,645
-41.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$52.5 DOP 3,136
-24.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$94.4 DOP 5,641
-14.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$114 DOP 6,811
-23.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$581 DOP 34.7K
65.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$285 DOP 17.0K
69.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$1,201 DOP 71.7K
37.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$668 DOP 39.9K
78.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$2,194 DOP 131.1K
80.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$1,164 DOP 69.5K
459.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Santo Domingo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$623 DOP 37.2K
16.67%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: April 13, 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

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