Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabana Grande and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,317 in Sabana Grande, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Sabana Grande despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Sabana Grande
Learn more

Sabana Grande Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sabana Grande

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,317

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sabana Grande and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sabana Grande and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Sabana Grande vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sabana Grande $1,317
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,075 per month in Sabana Grande vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sabana Grande $2,075
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,833 per month in Sabana Grande vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sabana Grande $2,833
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Sabana Grande costs about 9% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sabana Grande and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sabana Grande 3% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.27 $19.27

$10.92 MX$204

76.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 $81.4

$43.37 MX$808

87.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 $8.94

$11.78 MX$220

-24.11%

Cappuccino

$3.67 $3.67

$3.81 MX$71.0

-3.67%

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

$1.88 $1.88

$1.28 MX$23.90

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.78 MX$14.59

91.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.17 MX$59.0

-7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 $5.13

$4.93 MX$92.0

4.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.41 MX$26.22

51.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.22 MX$41.33

65.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.42 MX$26.42

64.08%

Eggs

$7.28 $7.28

$2.52 MX$47.03

188.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$7.26 MX$135

71.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$7.70 MX$143

21.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 $13.46

$12.69 MX$237

6.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.78 MX$51.9

78.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.37 MX$25.50

92.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.55 MX$47.55

89.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.12 MX$39.58

128.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.94 MX$36.13

97.94%

Onion (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.89 MX$35.16

114.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.15 MX$21.37

192.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.18 MX$21.98

40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.11 $12.11

$4.30 MX$80.1

181.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.38 $15.38

$9.95 MX$185

54.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.58 MX$29.52

96.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.67 MX$49.79

46.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$4.97 MX$92.6

-48.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.33 MX$62.1

-54.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.44 $42.44

$5.36 MX$99.8

691.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.44 MX$26.92

-18.06%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

66.17%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

18.94%

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

$320 $320

$84.8 MX$1,581

277.04%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$23.41 MX$436

192.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$28.66 MX$534

141.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 $10.65

$5.14 MX$95.8

107.20%

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

$833 $833

$207 MX$3,851

303.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

222.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$43.35 MX$808

29.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 $61.1

$41.44 MX$772

47.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$74.2 MX$1,383

47.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$89.3 MX$1,664

26.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Sabana Grande: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabana Grande

$457 34.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70.1% $320

Groceries & Markets

Sabana Grande

$412 31.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.2% $158

Eating Out

Sabana Grande

$263 20%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 23.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sabana Grande

$153 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sabana Grande

$21 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 216% $46

Getting Around

Sabana Grande

$10 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 399% $40

Accommodation & Living

Sabana Grande

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Sabana Grande versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Sabana Grande

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

18:15 6:15 PM

1 h behind Sabana Grande

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sabana Grande Playa del Carmen 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sabana Grande
Playa del Carmen

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

Sabana Grande vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sabana Grande is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,976 per month in Sabana Grande and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,317 in Sabana Grande and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 9% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $833 per month in Sabana Grande and $207 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,317 in Sabana Grande and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,317 in Sabana Grande. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.