Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John Island and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $6,201 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $59,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

297

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
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Saint John Island Living Index
60

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

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Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,201

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint John Island 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 Saint John Island and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $6,201 per month in Saint John Island vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint John Island $6,201
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $8,382 per month in Saint John Island vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint John Island $8,382
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $10.6K per month in Saint John Island vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint John Island $10.6K
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Saint John Island costs about 410% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saint John Island sits 363% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$69.9 $69.9

$10.97 MX$201

536.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$150 $150

$44.85 MX$823

233.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 $15.14

$11.92 MX$219

27.01%

Cappuccino

$9.16 $9.16

$3.80 MX$69.9

141.05%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$1.31 MX$24.08

160.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$0.86 MX$15.72

304.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.21 MX$59.0

59.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 $6.87

$5.01 MX$92.0

37.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.46 MX$26.77

115.75%

White Bread (500g)

$7.96 $7.96

$2.33 MX$42.72

241.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$1.44 MX$26.48

734.72%

Eggs

$12.07 $12.07

$2.46 MX$45.20

390.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.43 $32.43

$7.70 MX$141

321.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.00 $33.00

$7.89 MX$145

318.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.11 $24.11

$12.80 MX$235

88.36%

Apples (1kg)

$21.82 $21.82

$2.92 MX$53.6

647.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.42 MX$26.11

175.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$2.57 MX$47.10

572.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$11.89 $11.89

$2.14 MX$39.24

455.61%

Potato (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$1.95 MX$35.75

296.92%

Onion (1kg)

$7.86 $7.86

$1.94 MX$35.55

305.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.15 MX$21.13

330.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.22 MX$22.42

190.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.86 $8.86

$4.38 MX$80.3

102.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.36 $23.36

$9.85 MX$181

137.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.54 MX$28.23

197.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.72 MX$49.86

126.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$7.15 $7.15

$0.52 MX$9.64

1275.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$149 $149

$27.42 MX$503

442.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$30.31 $30.31

$4.91 MX$90.2

517.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.2 $50.2

$5.69 MX$104

782.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.54 MX$28.27

1.30%

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

$47.1K $47.1K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

121.91%

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

$52.2K $52.2K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

113.26%

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

$297 $297

$83.6 MX$1,535

254.80%

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

$98.4 $98.4

$24.03 MX$441

309.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 $101

$29.33 MX$539

245.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

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

$208 MX$3,813

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 $80.4

$44.55 MX$818

80.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.69 $49.69

$42.06 MX$772

18.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$75.5 MX$1,387

12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$91.4 MX$1,678

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,020 $4,020

$986 MX$18.1K

307.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,511 $3,511

$385 MX$7,072

811.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,081 $5,081

$1,713 MX$31.5K

196.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,566 $4,566

$1,108 MX$20.4K

311.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,412 $4,412

$758 MX$13.9K

482.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-38.86%

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

Last update for Saint John Island: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John Island

$3.5K 57.3%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 89% $3.1K

Groceries & Markets

Saint John Island

$987 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 73.6% $726

Eating Out

Saint John Island

$781 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 73.9% $577

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John Island

$496 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 72.4% $359

Getting Around

Saint John Island

$208 * 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 74.9% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John Island

$142 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 19.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John Island

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,020 in Saint John Island versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. 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 482% higher in Saint John Island, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $150 in Saint John Island versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $987 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

03:53 3:53 AM

1 h behind Saint John Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,170

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint John Island Playa del Carmen 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint John Island
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

Saint John Island vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint John Island is pricier by about 410%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $9,302 per month in Saint John Island and $1,823 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $6,201 in Saint John Island and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 410%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $150 in Saint John Island and $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Saint John Island at $6,201. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John Island it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint John Island makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.