Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Springs

For one person, living is cheaper in Springs: $979 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Springs
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Springs Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Springs

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $979 in Springs, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Springs $979

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,582 in Springs, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Springs $1,582

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,184 in Springs, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Springs $2,184

Playa del Carmen costs about 23% more than Springs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Springs are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Springs 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$9.15 R 152

19.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$35.40 R 588

22.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.18 R 86.0

127.41%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.19 R 36.44

73.97%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.96 R 15.89

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.67 R 11.05

16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.85 R 30.78

71.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.13 R 35.43

131.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.16 R 19.26

21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.05 R 17.50

111.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.77 R 29.45

-19.77%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.41 R 39.97

4.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.43 R 140

-13.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.00 R 83.0

54.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.25 R 120

75.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.28 R 21.29

117.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.08 R 17.94

26.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.71 R 28.40

49.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.20 R 19.87

76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.06 R 17.60

83.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.17 R 19.37

61.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.21 R 20.18

-4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.74 R 12.26

59.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.12 R 51.8

37.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.03 R 66.9

146.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.12 R 18.58

41.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.71 R 28.39

56.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.29 R 4.80

1613.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.80 R 13.37

316.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$14.37 R 239

-62.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.48 R 24.56

-2.70%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$35.6K R 591.4K

-41.96%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$32.7K R 543.5K

-28.28%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$148 R 2,460

-42.75%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$37.52 R 623

-37.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$35.28 R 586

-18.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$39.37 R 654

44.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$7.31 R 121

-29.69%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$89.2 R 1,481

131.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$1,794 R 29.8K

118.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$54.1 R 898

-19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$31.78 R 528

30.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$91.6 R 1,521

-18.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$82.0 R 1,363

8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$284 R 4,721

244.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$275 R 4,571

38.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$712 R 11.8K

139.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$694 R 11.5K

54.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,481 R 24.6K

166.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$692 R 11.5K

790.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,145 R 19.0K

-35.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.75

6.51%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Springs: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Springs

$275 28.1% 27.7% $106

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Springs

$173 17.7% 32.1% $82

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Springs

$135 13.8% 33.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Springs

$221 22.6% 61.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Springs

$117 11.9% 4.5% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Springs

$54 5.5% 19.8% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Springs

$4.3 * 0.4% 91.5% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $284 in Springs. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 56% higher in Springs, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $35 in Springs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $173 – making Springs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Springs

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,996

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Springs 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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Springs

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 Springs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,469 in Springs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Springs, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $284 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $979 in Springs. That makes Springs about 19% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $89 in Springs. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Springs – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.