Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sao Tome Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sao Tome

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 5.7% more expensive than Sao Tome without rent, and 17.3% more expensive with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 22.1% cheaper than Sao Tome without rent, and 19% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$20.41 STNΒ 431
-41.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$45.97 STNΒ 970
-7.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$9.99 STNΒ 211
4.80%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.78 STNΒ 37.62
102.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.91 STNΒ 40.33
-24.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$1.18 STNΒ 24.99
-24.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.61 STNΒ 33.97
91.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$1.9 STNΒ 40.1
141.05%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.39 STNΒ 29.26
-0.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1 STNΒ 21
85.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$2.38 STNΒ 50.2
-34.03%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$4.98 STNΒ 105
-48.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$20.37 STNΒ 430
-57.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$20.07 STNΒ 423
-57.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$24.84 STNΒ 524
-55.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$4.51 STNΒ 95.1
-39.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.18 STNΒ 24.82
27.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$4 STNΒ 84.3
-53.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$3.43 STNΒ 72.3
-36.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.65 STNΒ 55.9
-29.43%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.08 STNΒ 43.8
5.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.67 STNΒ 14.19
59.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1.98 STNΒ 41.73
-44.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.26 STNΒ 47.68
75.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$9.41 STNΒ 199
-5.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.27 STNΒ 26.73
35.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.3 STNΒ 27.37
100.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$1.26 STNΒ 26.66
-58.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$13.91 STNΒ 293
-77.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.7 STNΒ 35.93
-22.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$22.9K STNΒ 482.7K
4.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$34.49 STNΒ 728
-35.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$73 STNΒ 1,541
-58.73%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$36.95 STNΒ 780
40.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$28.71 STNΒ 606
-34.80%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$21.2 STNΒ 447
-76.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-
-
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$19.09 STNΒ 403
362.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$344 STNΒ 7,262
180.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$230 STNΒ 4,857
106.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$667 STNΒ 14.1K
147.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$514 STNΒ 10.9K
133.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$329 STNΒ 6,931
141.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
7.38
54.74%

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 Sao Tome: October 29, 2025

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