Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John's and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John's and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Saint John's is 13.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 36.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Saint John's is 29.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 23.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.78 EC$37.2
$11.99 MX$227
14.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.1 EC$227
$42.47 MX$803
98.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.95 EC$29.57
$10.47 MX$198
4.58%
Cappuccino
$3.9 EC$10.52
$3.6 MX$68.2
8.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 EC$5.52
$1.44 MX$27.16
42.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 EC$2.46
$0.89 MX$16.79
2.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.9 EC$5.14
$3.09 MX$58.5
-38.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 EC$11.91
$4.58 MX$86.6
-3.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.26 EC$6.1
$1.38 MX$26.04
63.77%
White Bread (500g)
$2.81 EC$7.6
$1.85 MX$34.9
51.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.9 EC$5.13
$1.57 MX$29.68
21.02%
Eggs
$5.44 EC$14.68
$2.55 MX$48.3
113.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.01 EC$21.63
$8.61 MX$163
-6.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.18 EC$22.08
$8.54 MX$161
-4.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$10.98 MX$208
-
Apples (1kg)
$6.37 EC$17.19
$2.72 MX$51.4
134.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.42 EC$6.52
$1.51 MX$28.57
60.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$8.18 EC$22.08
$1.88 MX$35.63
335.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.96 EC$21.49
$2.19 MX$41.42
263.47%
Potato (1kg)
$2.78 EC$7.51
$1.87 MX$35.3
48.66%
Onion (1kg)
$2.85 EC$7.69
$2.19 MX$41.37
30.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.56 EC$6.92
$1.07 MX$20.23
139.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 EC$5.09
$1.09 MX$20.64
73.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$3.96 MX$74.9
-
Wine (Bottle)
$8.81 EC$23.78
$8.86 MX$167
-0.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.7 EC$7.3
$1.72 MX$32.53
56.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 EC$9.82
$2.61 MX$49.37
39.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1 EC$2.69
$0.52 MX$9.74
92.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.59 EC$15.08
$3.24 MX$61.2
72.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.59 EC$15.1
$2.38 MX$44.94
134.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.14 EC$54.4
$3.11 MX$58.7
547.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.75 EC$4.72
$1.31 MX$24.85
33.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K EC$65K
$30.3K MX$573K
-20.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.8K EC$56.2K
$24K MX$453.6K
-13.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 EC$351
$84.2 MX$1,592
54.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.47 EC$112
$22.14 MX$419
87.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73 EC$197
$30.14 MX$570
142.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.8 EC$178
$52 MX$983
26.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$36.98 EC$99.8
$18.72 MX$354
97.54%
Cinema Ticket
$5.93 EC$16.01
$5.07 MX$95.9
16.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,787
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,835 EC$4,955
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-65.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$35.74 MX$676
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$39.8 MX$753
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.2 EC$203
$79 MX$1,493
-4.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$88.4 MX$1,671
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,115 EC$3,010
$965 MX$18.3K
15.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$751 EC$2,028
$474 MX$8,968
58.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,637 EC$4,420
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-0.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,509 EC$4,073
$1,202 MX$22.7K
25.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,349 EC$3,642
$792 MX$15K
70.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.5
11.42
-51.84%

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

Last update for Saint John's: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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