Cost of Living Comparison Between Saipan and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Saipan and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Saipan is 50.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 42.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Saipan is 24.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 11.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.41 $11.41
$11.85 MX$211
-3.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.71 $40.71
$42.16 MX$750
-3.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.85 $11.85
$10.75 MX$191
10.23%
Cappuccino
$5.09 $5.09
$3.47 MX$61.8
46.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 $1.64
$1.45 MX$25.85
13.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 $1.35
$0.90 MX$16.06
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.04 $6.04
$3.05 MX$54.3
98.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.06 $6.06
$4.42 MX$78.6
37.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 $2.24
$1.37 MX$24.36
63.50%
White Bread (500g)
$3.28 $3.28
$1.87 MX$33.31
75.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$45.21 $45.21
$1.54 MX$27.46
2835.71%
Eggs
$6.16 $6.16
$2.50 MX$44.53
146.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$8.61 MX$153
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.98 $12.98
$8.63 MX$154
50.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$11.02 MX$196
-
Apples (1kg)
$6.72 $6.72
$2.75 MX$48.91
144.36%
Banana (1kg)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.43 MX$25.41
51.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.78 $6.78
$1.87 MX$33.32
262.57%
Tomato (1kg)
-
$2.17 MX$38.56
-
Potato (1kg)
$2.12 $2.12
$1.88 MX$33.50
12.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 $2.24
$2.25 MX$39.96
-0.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$5.04 $5.04
$1.07 MX$18.99
371.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.07 MX$19.10
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.15 MX$73.9
-
Wine (Bottle)
$14.82 $14.82
$10.34 MX$184
43.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.68 MX$29.87
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.48 MX$44.19
-
🚌 Getting Around
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.55 MX$9.87
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$472
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.31 $6.31
$3.22 MX$57.2
95.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 $1.90
$2.48 MX$44.15
-23.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.11 MX$55.3
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 $1.41
$1.26 MX$22.34
11.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.1K $37.1K
$30.7K MX$545.4K
21.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K $22.7K
$24.0K MX$427.6K
-5.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$337 $337
$82.5 MX$1,467
308.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$66.2 $66.2
$22.29 MX$396
196.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.2 $59.2
$30.02 MX$534
97.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.92 $46.92
$51.4 MX$915
-8.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$325
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.10 $8.10
$4.98 MX$88.7
62.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,558
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,958 $5,958
$5,304 MX$94.4K
12.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.81 $29.81
$35.71 MX$635
-16.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.61 $39.61
$39.56 MX$704
0.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.3 $71.3
$80.6 MX$1,433
-11.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.6 $55.6
$88.3 MX$1,571
-37.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$613 $613
$969 MX$17.2K
-36.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$444 $444
$482 MX$8,579
-8.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,032 $1,032
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-35.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$835 $835
$1,184 MX$21.1K
-29.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,006 $1,006
$756 MX$13.5K
33.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.42
-

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

Last update for Saipan: March 2, 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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