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 0.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 36.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Saint John's is 22.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.81 EC$37.28
$11.85 MX$205
16.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.2 EC$225
$42.16 MX$730
97.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.17 EC$30.15
$10.75 MX$186
3.91%
Cappuccino
$3.85 EC$10.41
$3.47 MX$60.2
10.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 EC$5.43
$1.45 MX$25.17
38.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 EC$2.64
$0.90 MX$15.64
8.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.91 EC$5.14
$3.05 MX$52.9
-37.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.46 EC$12.03
$4.42 MX$76.5
0.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 EC$5.87
$1.37 MX$23.72
58.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.81 EC$7.58
$1.87 MX$32.43
50.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 EC$4.87
$1.54 MX$26.74
16.88%
Eggs
$5.27 EC$14.24
$2.50 MX$43.36
110.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.16 EC$22.04
$8.61 MX$149
-5.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.12 EC$21.92
$8.63 MX$150
-5.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$11.02 MX$191
-
Apples (1kg)
$6.39 EC$17.27
$2.75 MX$47.62
132.36%
Banana (1kg)
$2.50 EC$6.76
$1.43 MX$24.73
74.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.97 EC$21.52
$1.87 MX$32.44
326.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$8.40 EC$22.67
$2.17 MX$37.54
287.10%
Potato (1kg)
$2.85 EC$7.68
$1.88 MX$32.61
51.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.82 EC$7.63
$2.25 MX$38.91
25.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.61 EC$7.05
$1.07 MX$18.49
143.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 EC$4.93
$1.07 MX$18.59
71.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.15 MX$72.0
-
Wine (Bottle)
$9.33 EC$25.20
$10.34 MX$179
-9.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.65 EC$7.16
$1.68 MX$29.08
57.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 EC$9.89
$2.48 MX$43.02
47.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.99 EC$2.69
$0.55 MX$9.61
80.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$459
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 EC$14.58
$3.22 MX$55.7
67.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.63 EC$15.20
$2.48 MX$42.98
127.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.95 EC$53.9
$3.11 MX$53.9
541.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 EC$4.57
$1.26 MX$21.75
34.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K EC$63.3K
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-23.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.5K EC$55.3K
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-14.76%
🧾 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
$82.5 MX$1,429
57.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.12 EC$111
$22.29 MX$386
84.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.4 EC$198
$30.02 MX$520
144.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.6 EC$172
$51.4 MX$891
23.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$36.31 EC$98.0
$18.29 MX$317
98.52%
Cinema Ticket
$6.03 EC$16.28
$4.98 MX$86.3
21.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,464
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,847 EC$4,987
$5,304 MX$91.9K
-65.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$35.71 MX$618
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$39.56 MX$685
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.5 EC$198
$80.6 MX$1,395
-8.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$88.3 MX$1,530
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,093 EC$2,951
$969 MX$16.8K
12.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$740 EC$1,997
$482 MX$8,352
53.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,669 EC$4,508
$1,595 MX$27.6K
4.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,491 EC$4,027
$1,184 MX$20.5K
25.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint John's
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,396 EC$3,769
$756 MX$13.1K
84.56%
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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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