Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sayulita

For one person, living is cheaper in Sayulita: $1,135 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sayulita
Learn more

Sayulita Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Sayulita

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sayulita

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 Sayulita actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,135 in Sayulita, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Sayulita $1,135

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,806 in Sayulita, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sayulita $1,806

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,476 in Sayulita, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Sayulita $2,476

Playa del Carmen costs about 6% more than Sayulita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sayulita are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Sayulita 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$10.37 MX$192

2.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$39.43 MX$732

11.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.13 MX$151

45.02%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$3.26 MX$60.4

16.26%

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

$1.30 MX$24.07

$1.29 MX$23.91

0.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.47

$0.91 MX$16.98

-8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$2.15 MX$39.91

46.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$3.99 MX$74.1

23.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$1.43 MX$26.57

-1.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.75

$2.63 MX$48.90

-16.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.33

$1.63 MX$30.27

-9.82%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.34

$2.34 MX$43.40

6.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$8.23 MX$153

-11.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$7.96 MX$148

-0.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$10.64 MX$197

20.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.61 MX$48.51

11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.67

$1.40 MX$25.92

-1.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.23

$1.78 MX$33.03

39.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.67

$1.69 MX$31.43

20.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$1.85 MX$34.36

9.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.32

$1.94 MX$35.95

-2.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.24

$1.22 MX$22.62

-6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$0.98 MX$18.12

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$4.17 MX$77.3

2.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$10.93 MX$203

-10.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.43

$1.61 MX$29.81

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$2.87 MX$53.3

-4.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.66 MX$12.20

-22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$508

$30.75 MX$571

-10.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$2.66 MX$49.34

78.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$1.61 MX$29.84

101.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.08 MX$150

-33.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.36

$1.27 MX$23.49

20.47%

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

$21.2K MX$393.7K

$21.0K MX$390.2K

0.90%

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

$23.3K MX$431.7K

$22.0K MX$409.2K

5.52%

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

$83.5 MX$1,549

$56.7 MX$1,052

47.25%

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

$23.19 MX$430

$22.35 MX$415

3.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$512

$28.37 MX$527

-2.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,047

$36.51 MX$678

54.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

$16.17 MX$300

74.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.8

$4.53 MX$84.0

10.38%

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

$207 MX$3,843

$207 MX$3,851

-0.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$3,622 MX$67.2K

44.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$806

$52.6 MX$976

-17.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$789

$38.96 MX$723

9.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,350

$92.1 MX$1,710

-21.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,640

$78.6 MX$1,459

12.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$513 MX$9,524

93.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,097

$395 MX$7,326

-3.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$942 MX$17.5K

77.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$762 MX$14.1K

41.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.5K

$1,781 MX$33.0K

119.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$113.9K

$1,154 MX$21.4K

431.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.48

-0.26%

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 Sayulita: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Sayulita

$395 34.8% 3.2% $12

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Sayulita

$252 22.2% 2.2% $5.8

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Sayulita

$174 15.3% 13.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Sayulita

$107 9.5% 20% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sayulita

$118 10.4% 6.1% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Sayulita

$46 4% 31.4% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sayulita

$44 3.9% 12.6% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $513 in Sayulita. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $39 in Sayulita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $252 – making Sayulita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Sayulita

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sayulita 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sayulita

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 Sayulita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,703 in Sayulita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sayulita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $513 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,135 in Sayulita. That makes Sayulita about 6% cheaper.

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

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,135 in Sayulita, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sayulita costs $1,135 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.