Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Paul, MN and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,445 in Saint Paul, MN, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Saint Paul, MN
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Saint Paul, MN Living Index
58

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

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Saint Paul, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,445

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,445 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $2,445
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,672 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $3,672
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,900 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $4,900
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Saint Paul, MN costs about 103% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saint Paul, MN sits 80% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.66 $15.66

$10.92 MX$203

43.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 $67.8

$43.37 MX$808

56.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$11.78 MX$219

-14.52%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.81 MX$71.0

32.02%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$1.28 MX$23.89

141.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$0.78 MX$14.58

232.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.17 MX$59.0

90.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$4.93 MX$91.9

49.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.41 MX$26.20

-30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.22 MX$41.30

71.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.42 MX$26.40

134.51%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$2.52 MX$47.00

17.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 $9.39

$7.26 MX$135

29.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 $9.66

$7.70 MX$143

25.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$12.69 MX$236

3.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.78 MX$51.9

74.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.37 MX$25.49

-18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.55 MX$47.52

130.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.12 MX$39.55

132.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.94 MX$36.11

96.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.89 MX$35.13

84.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.15 MX$21.36

78.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.18 MX$21.96

48.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.68 $12.68

$4.30 MX$80.0

194.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.65 $14.65

$9.95 MX$185

47.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.58 MX$29.50

6.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.67 MX$49.76

27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.55 MX$10.31

256.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$26.62 MX$496

289.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$4.97 MX$92.6

-48.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.33 MX$62.1

-54.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.02 $31.02

$5.36 MX$99.8

478.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.44 MX$26.90

-28.47%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

31.10%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

13.28%

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

$232 $232

$84.8 MX$1,580

173.96%

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

$50.6 $50.6

$23.41 MX$436

116.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 $64.7

$28.66 MX$534

125.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.74 $29.74

$57.1 MX$1,063

-47.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.50 $8.50

$28.91 MX$539

-70.60%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 $13.07

$5.14 MX$95.7

154.28%

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

$1,481 $1,481

$207 MX$3,848

616.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K $28.1K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

614.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.01 $41.01

$43.35 MX$808

-5.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 $40.23

$41.44 MX$772

-2.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 $82.1

$74.2 MX$1,382

10.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$89.3 MX$1,663

23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 $1,444

$980 MX$18.2K

47.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 $1,153

$381 MX$7,095

202.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,660 $2,660

$1,708 MX$31.8K

55.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,132 $2,132

$1,075 MX$20.0K

98.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,631 $2,631

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-33.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 $1,949

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-68.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,256 $4,256

$735 MX$13.7K

479.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.45

-44.89%

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

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Paul, MN

$1.2K 47.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 67% $772

Groceries & Markets

Saint Paul, MN

$360 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.2% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Paul, MN

$348 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.6% $211

Eating Out

Saint Paul, MN

$283 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 28.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Paul, MN

$123 5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.2% $11

Getting Around

Saint Paul, MN

$122 5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 58.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Paul, MN

$56 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 20.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,444 in Saint Paul, MN versus $980 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 in Saint Paul, MN are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Saint Paul, MN versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Paul, MN

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

Same time as Saint Paul, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,068

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Paul, MN Playa del Carmen 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Paul, MN
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 Paul, MN vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint Paul, MN is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,667 per month in Saint Paul, MN and $1,806 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,444 in Saint Paul, MN.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,445 in Saint Paul, MN and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 51% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Saint Paul, MN at $2,445. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Paul, MN 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.

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