Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sao Tome

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Sao Tome: $1,202 and $1,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sao Tome

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Sao Tome actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,202 in Sao Tome, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Sao Tome $1,202

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,885 in Sao Tome, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sao Tome $1,885

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,567 in Sao Tome, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Sao Tome $2,567

Playa del Carmen and Sao Tome have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sao Tome are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Sao Tome 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$8.79 STN 192

21.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$44.44 STN 969

-1.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$7.84 STN 171

50.38%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$2.21 STN 48.22

71.49%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.26

$1.87 STN 40.78

-30.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$1.21 STN 26.44

-31.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$1.72 STN 37.55

83.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$1.81 STN 39.51

172.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.51 STN 32.88

-6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$1.21 STN 26.36

81.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$2.04 STN 44.58

-27.94%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$4.81 STN 105

-48.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$22.11 STN 482

-67.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$16.62 STN 362

-52.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$20.21 STN 441

-36.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$3.84 STN 83.7

-24.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.75 STN 38.18

-21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$3.82 STN 83.3

-34.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$3.90 STN 84.9

-47.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$3.14 STN 68.5

-35.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$3.05 STN 66.6

-37.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$0.50 STN 10.83

128.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$2.08 STN 45.33

-40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$2.26 STN 49.25

88.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$7.01 STN 153

39.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.50 STN 32.76

6.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$1.64 STN 35.65

67.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$1.40 STN 30.59

-63.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$1.67 STN 36.33

185.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$2.52 STN 55.0

28.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$13.81 STN 301

-60.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.73 STN 37.68

-11.56%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$24.4K STN 532.1K

-13.09%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$31.5K STN 686.7K

-26.15%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83.5 MX$1,562

$232 STN 5,047

-63.94%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.19 MX$434

$31.65 STN 690

-26.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$67.1 STN 1,462

-58.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$33.48 STN 730

68.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$24.95 STN 544

12.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$20.27 STN 442

-75.33%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,873

$230 STN 5,017

-10.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$2,182 STN 47.6K

139.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$73.6 STN 1,605

-42.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$18.53 STN 404

376.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$285 STN 6,205

249.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$195 STN 4,254

95.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$922 STN 20.1K

81.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$441 STN 9,618

144.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$1,839 STN 40.1K

112.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$1,143 STN 24.9K

436.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$256 STN 5,582

225.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.38

55.15%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Sao Tome

$195 16.2% 49% $187

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Sao Tome

$396 33% 54% $139

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Sao Tome

$145 12.1% 27.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Sao Tome

$330 27.5% 146% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sao Tome

$41 * 3.5% 62.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Sao Tome

$74 6.2% 11.4% $7.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.7% 60.6% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $285 in Sao Tome. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Sao Tome. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $396 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

22:13 10:13 PM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

53,300 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 21.8 STN (100 STN = 4.59 USD). 1 EUR = 24.36 STN (100 STN = 4.1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sao Tome 10,390 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sao Tome

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Playa del Carmen vs Sao Tome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,803 in Sao Tome. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Tome, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Interestingly, groceries are about 35% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $230 in Sao Tome. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,202 in Sao Tome. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Sao Tome to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Tome. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.