Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Southern Cross Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Southern Cross

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 10.5% cheaper than Southern Cross without rent, and 43.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 31.6% cheaper than Southern Cross without rent, and 28.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Southern Cross
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$18.16 A$27.82
-33.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$57.8 A$88.6
-26.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$9.92 A$15.19
5.54%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.18 A$4.88
13.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$2.23 A$3.42
-35.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$1.65 A$2.53
-46.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$6.52 A$9.98
-52.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$7.59 A$11.63
-39.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Southern Cross
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.47 A$2.25
-6.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$2.32 A$3.56
-20.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$2.03 A$3.11
-22.66%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.64 A$4.05
-3.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$8.55 A$13.1
0.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$8.59 A$13.16
-0.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$13.43 A$20.57
-18.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.28 A$5.02
-17.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$2.83 A$4.33
-46.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.88 A$4.41
-34.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$4.09 A$6.27
-46.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.42 A$3.71
-22.73%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.15 A$3.3
1.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$2.11 A$3.23
-49.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1.58 A$2.42
-31.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$33.03 A$50.6
-88.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$13.03 A$19.96
-32.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$4.48 A$6.87
-61.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$5.41 A$8.29
-51.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Southern Cross
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$2.56 A$3.92
-79.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$64.1 A$98.2
-58.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$3.63 A$5.55
-10.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.54 A$2.36
54.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$33.7 A$51.6
-90.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.18 A$1.81
11.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$28.6K A$43.8K
6.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$22.4K A$34.3K
7.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Southern Cross
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$180 A$276
-53.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$27.49 A$42.12
-19.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$53.5 A$82
-43.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Southern Cross
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$47.95 A$73.5
8.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$15.82 A$24.24
18.33%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$12.85 A$19.69
-60.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Southern Cross
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$1,630 A$2,497
-87.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$12.2K A$18.8K
-56.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Southern Cross
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$68 A$104
-47.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$51.5 A$78.9
-22.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$101 A$155
-21.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$108 A$165
-18.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Southern Cross
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$1,265 A$1,938
-23.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$1,059 A$1,622
-55.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,989 A$3,048
-16.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$1,670 A$2,558
-28.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$6,010 A$9,208
-48.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$5,301 A$8,122
42.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Southern Cross
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$6,672 A$10.2K
-88.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.25
82.72%

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 Southern Cross: October 29, 2025

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