Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Lucia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,360 in Saint Lucia, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Saint Lucia despite lower rent and utilities.

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia
$1,360
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Saint Lucia is 17.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 11.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Saint Lucia is 35.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 0.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.06 EC$21.77
$10.97 MX$201
-26.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.7 EC$202
$44.85 MX$823
66.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.37 EC$25.29
$11.92 MX$219
-21.39%
Cappuccino
$3.94 EC$10.63
$3.80 MX$69.9
3.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 EC$3.86
$1.31 MX$24.08
9.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 EC$2.72
$0.86 MX$15.72
17.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.89 EC$7.79
$3.21 MX$59.0
-9.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 EC$8.79
$5.01 MX$92.0
-34.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.19 EC$5.92
$1.46 MX$26.77
50.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.68 EC$4.53
$2.33 MX$42.72
-27.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 EC$4.54
$1.44 MX$26.48
16.67%
Eggs
$4.91 EC$13.25
$2.46 MX$45.20
99.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 EC$30.98
$7.70 MX$141
48.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.33 EC$30.60
$7.89 MX$145
43.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.89 EC$40.21
$12.80 MX$235
16.33%
Apples (1kg)
$7.74 EC$20.90
$2.92 MX$53.6
165.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 EC$4.94
$1.42 MX$26.11
28.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.08 EC$13.72
$2.57 MX$47.10
97.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$8.59 EC$23.21
$2.14 MX$39.24
301.40%
Potato (1kg)
$3.49 EC$9.43
$1.95 MX$35.75
78.97%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 EC$5.59
$1.94 MX$35.55
6.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.02 EC$8.16
$1.15 MX$21.13
162.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 EC$3.62
$1.22 MX$22.42
9.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.47 EC$20.18
$4.38 MX$80.3
70.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.02 EC$32.44
$9.85 MX$181
22.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.21 EC$5.96
$1.54 MX$28.23
43.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.12 EC$13.82
$2.72 MX$49.86
88.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Saint Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.13 EC$3.05
$0.52 MX$9.64
117.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.42 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.28 EC$25.04
$4.91 MX$90.2
89.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$3.52 MX$64.7
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.69 MX$104
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.58 EC$4.27
$1.54 MX$28.27
2.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K EC$78.6K
$21.2K MX$389.9K
37.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K EC$110.5K
$24.5K MX$449.6K
67.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 EC$350
$83.6 MX$1,535
55.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.65 EC$110
$24.03 MX$441
69.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.35 EC$122
$29.33 MX$539
54.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.6 EC$142
$64.9 MX$1,191
-18.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.46 MX$541
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.74 EC$18.19
$5.09 MX$93.4
32.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$215 EC$581
$208 MX$3,813
3.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,045 MX$74.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.7 EC$172
$44.55 MX$818
42.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.4 EC$144
$42.06 MX$772
27.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 EC$296
$75.5 MX$1,387
44.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 EC$296
$91.4 MX$1,678
19.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$509 EC$1,373
$986 MX$18.1K
-48.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$355 EC$958
$385 MX$7,072
-7.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,070 EC$2,889
$1,713 MX$31.5K
-37.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$687 EC$1,855
$1,108 MX$20.4K
-38.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$142 EC$383
$4,016 MX$73.7K
-96.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$163 EC$439
$6,247 MX$114.7K
-97.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$768 EC$2,073
$758 MX$13.9K
1.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.75
11.45
-32.31%

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

Last update for Saint Lucia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Saint Lucia
$402
Playa del Carmen
$260 35.2% $142
Accommodation & Living
Saint Lucia
$355
Playa del Carmen
$385 8.5% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint Lucia
$216
Playa del Carmen
$137 36.5% $79
Eating Out
Saint Lucia
$171
Playa del Carmen
$204 19.6% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Saint Lucia
$151
Playa del Carmen
$114 24.6% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Saint Lucia
$66
Playa del Carmen
$75 13.5% $8.9
Getting Around
Saint Lucia
$14 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 277% $38

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

Good to know
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
07:54 7:54 AM
06:54 6:54 AM
1 h behind Saint Lucia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
167,591
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saint Lucia Playa del Carmen 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Saint Lucia
  • 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 Lucia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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