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

😐 Solo nomad: Saipan is 7.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 40.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Saipan is 48.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 12.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.51 $11.51
$11.99 MX$227
-4.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.96 $39.96
$42.47 MX$803
-5.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.82 $11.82
$10.47 MX$198
12.89%
Cappuccino
$5.1 $5.1
$3.6 MX$68.2
41.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 $1.63
$1.44 MX$27.16
13.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 $1.35
$0.89 MX$16.79
51.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.86 $5.86
$3.09 MX$58.5
89.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.15 $6.15
$4.58 MX$86.6
34.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 $2.27
$1.38 MX$26.04
64.49%
White Bread (500g)
$3.28 $3.28
$1.85 MX$34.9
77.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$45.67 $45.67
$1.57 MX$29.68
2808.92%
Eggs
$6.31 $6.31
$2.55 MX$48.3
147.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$8.61 MX$163
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.41 $13.41
$8.54 MX$161
57.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$10.98 MX$208
-
Apples (1kg)
$6.7 $6.7
$2.72 MX$51.4
146.32%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.51 MX$28.57
42.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.71 $6.71
$1.88 MX$35.63
256.91%
Tomato (1kg)
-
$2.19 MX$41.42
-
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.87 MX$35.3
14.97%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 $2.26
$2.19 MX$41.37
3.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.86 $4.86
$1.07 MX$20.23
354.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.09 MX$20.64
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$3.96 MX$74.9
-
Wine (Bottle)
$15.18 $15.18
$8.86 MX$167
71.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.72 MX$32.53
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.61 MX$49.37
-
🚌 Getting Around
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.33 $6.33
$3.24 MX$61.2
95.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.9 $1.9
$2.38 MX$44.94
-20.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.11 MX$58.7
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 $1.48
$1.31 MX$24.85
12.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.6K $37.6K
$30.3K MX$573K
24.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K $23.4K
$24K MX$453.6K
-2.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$330 $330
$84.2 MX$1,592
291.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$66.2 $66.2
$22.14 MX$419
199.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.8 $59.8
$30.14 MX$570
98.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.99 $46.99
$52 MX$983
-9.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.03 $8.03
$5.07 MX$95.9
58.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,787
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,897 $5,897
$5,333 MX$100.8K
10.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.87 $29.87
$35.74 MX$676
-16.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.34 $40.34
$39.8 MX$753
1.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.6 $69.6
$79 MX$1,493
-11.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.5 $55.5
$88.4 MX$1,671
-37.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$629 $629
$965 MX$18.3K
-34.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 $442
$474 MX$8,968
-6.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,041 $1,041
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-37.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$864 $864
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-28.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saipan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$991 $991
$792 MX$15K
25.18%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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