Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and St. George, UT

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,620 in St. George, UT, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
St. George, UT, United States
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
St. George, UT
🇺🇸 United States
$2,620
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in St. George, UT

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 St. George, UT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,620 in St. George, UT, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • St. George, UT $2,620

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,835 in St. George, UT, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • St. George, UT $3,835

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,049 in St. George, UT, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • St. George, UT $5,049

Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper than St. George, UT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while St. George, UT is 93% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
St. George, UT
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$18.95 $18.95
-42.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$75.0 $75.0
-42.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$10.97 $10.97
7.38%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$5.05 $5.05
-24.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$2.49 $2.49
-48.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$1.97 $1.97
-60.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$6.07 $6.07
-47.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$7.09 $7.09
-30.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
St. George, UT
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.01 $1.01
39.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$3.53 $3.53
-37.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$4.36 $4.36
-67.43%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$4.13 $4.13
-38.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$12.49 $12.49
-41.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$11.23 $11.23
-31.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$15.48 $15.48
-18.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$5.00 $5.00
-44.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.58 $1.58
-13.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$4.26 $4.26
-40.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$4.83 $4.83
-56.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$2.86 $2.86
-32.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$2.76 $2.76
-31.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$2.01 $2.01
-42.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$2.16 $2.16
-45.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$9.82 $9.82
-56.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$13.95 $13.95
-28.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$1.79 $1.79
-11.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$3.31 $3.31
-19.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
St. George, UT
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$1.95 $1.95
-71.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$67.4 $67.4
-60.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$3.57 $3.57
39.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$1.63 $1.63
104.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$28.82 $28.82
-81.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$0.90 $0.90
60.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$29.5K $29.5K
-29.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$25.6K $25.6K
-8.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
St. George, UT
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$189 $189
-55.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$53.8 $53.8
-56.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$67.8 $67.8
-57.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
St. George, UT
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$42.45 $42.45
34.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$13.58 $13.58
-62.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
St. George, UT
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$1,298 $1,298
-84.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$23.7K $23.7K
-83.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
St. George, UT
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$51.2 $51.2
-15.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$40.37 $40.37
2.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$86.9 $86.9
-14.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$110 $110
-18.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
St. George, UT
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$1,596 $1,596
-38.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$1,329 $1,329
-71.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$2,670 $2,670
-36.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$2,197 $2,197
-51.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$2,741 $2,741
43.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$2,463 $2,463
150.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
St. George, UT
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.51
75.88%

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 St. George, UT: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
St. George, UT
$1.3K 249% $948
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
St. George, UT
$387 51.8% $132
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
St. George, UT
$307 51.9% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
St. George, UT
$311 127% $174
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
St. George, UT
$130 16.1% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
St. George, UT
$70 3.4% $2.3
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
St. George, UT
$87 72.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,596 in St. George, UT. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $75 in St. George, UT. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $387 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇺🇸 St. George, UT
🕒 Local time
11:02 11:02 AM
10:02 10:02 AM
1 h behind Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
95,342
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen St. George, UT 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • St. George, UT

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 St. George, UT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than St. George, UT?
Yes – St. George, UT is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,930 in St. George, UT. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,596 in St. George, UT.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in St. George, UT?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,620 in St. George, UT. That’s a gap of about 118%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 61% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in St. George, UT?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in St. George, UT at $2,620. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. George, UT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or St. George, UT more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 118% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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