Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sun City

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,275 in Sun City, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sun City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
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Sun City Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sun City

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,275 in Sun City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Sun City $1,275

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,947 in Sun City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sun City $1,947

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,618 in Sun City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Sun City $2,618

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper than Sun City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sun City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Sun City 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$12.15 R 202

-12.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$44.31 R 735

-1.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$7.16 R 119

64.66%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.41 R 39.98

57.26%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.27 R 21.01

2.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.91 R 15.15

-8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.47 R 41.05

27.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.79 R 46.28

76.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.34 R 22.28

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.25 R 20.67

76.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.71 R 28.30

-14.04%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.73 R 45.34

-8.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$8.62 R 143

-15.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$5.50 R 91.3

44.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$8.89 R 147

44.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.08 R 34.57

39.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.92 R 31.83

-28.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.81 R 30.11

37.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$2.08 R 34.51

-2.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.62 R 26.94

24.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.76 R 29.25

7.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$1.44 R 23.86

-20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.29 R 21.46

-3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$3.52 R 58.4

21.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$5.93 R 98.4

65.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.87 R 31.03

-14.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.27 R 37.73

21.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$1.84 R 30.50

-72.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.81 R 13.42

487.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.92 R 15.26

253.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$14.35 R 238

-62.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.57 R 26.03

-2.55%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$35.6K R 590.2K

-40.37%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$34.0K R 564.8K

-31.66%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$226 R 3,755

-63.12%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$39.15 R 649

-40.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$38.06 R 632

-27.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$28.91 R 480

95.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$10.07 R 167

179.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$8.60 R 143

-41.86%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$242 R 4,012

-14.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$7,651 R 126.9K

-31.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$59.9 R 994

-27.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$44.98 R 746

-5.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$113 R 1,880

-35.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$112 R 1,864

-21.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$370 R 6,143

168.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$371 R 6,154

3.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$646 R 10.7K

159.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$731 R 12.1K

47.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$705 R 11.7K

454.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$737 R 12.2K

732.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.91

4.95%

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 Sun City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Sun City

$371 29.1% 3% $11

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Sun City

$219 17.2% 15% $39

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Sun City

$174 13.7% 13% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Sun City

$304 23.8% 126% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sun City

$149 11.7% 33.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Sun City

$46 3.6% 30.6% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sun City

$13 * 1% 74.7% $38

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 $370 in Sun City. 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 $44 in Sun City. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $219 in Sun City – so Sun City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Sun City

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

19:16 7:16 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,556

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sun City 13,320 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sun City

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 Sun City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sun City is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,913 in Sun City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sun City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $370 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Sun City – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $242 in Sun City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,275 in Sun City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,275 in Sun City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.