Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Andres Tuxtla and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in San Andres Tuxtla: $1,127 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in San Andres Tuxtla
Learn more

San Andres Tuxtla Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

San Andres Tuxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,127

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Andres Tuxtla 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 San Andres Tuxtla and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,127 per month in San Andres Tuxtla vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Andres Tuxtla $1,127
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,824 per month in San Andres Tuxtla vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Andres Tuxtla $1,824
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,520 per month in San Andres Tuxtla vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Andres Tuxtla $2,520
Playa del Carmen $3,000

San Andres Tuxtla is about 6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Andres Tuxtla and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Andres Tuxtla 17% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$202

$10.86 MX$201

0.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.29 MX$818

$44.21 MX$817

0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 MX$155

$11.76 MX$217

-28.49%

Cappuccino

$3.49 MX$64.5

$3.68 MX$68.0

-5.16%

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

$1.35 MX$24.97

$1.34 MX$24.79

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$18.67

$0.82 MX$15.24

23.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 MX$46.20

$3.06 MX$56.6

-18.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 MX$75.1

$4.94 MX$91.2

-17.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MX$29.63

$1.47 MX$27.17

8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.22 MX$40.95

14.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.52

$1.48 MX$27.32

11.49%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.96

$2.49 MX$45.99

-2.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 MX$151

$7.52 MX$139

8.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 MX$156

$7.96 MX$147

6.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 MX$211

$12.57 MX$232

-9.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$49.19

$2.78 MX$51.3

-4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.28

$1.43 MX$26.37

6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.83

$2.62 MX$48.37

-25.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.65

$2.14 MX$39.49

-14.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.77

$2.02 MX$37.38

-3.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.85

$1.99 MX$36.74

-5.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 MX$26.08

$1.14 MX$21.01

23.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$20.27

$1.20 MX$22.18

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$192

$10.02 MX$185

3.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 MX$33.36

$1.54 MX$28.41

17.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 MX$56.7

$2.66 MX$49.17

15.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.69

$0.53 MX$9.73

18.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 MX$47.55

$4.90 MX$90.6

-47.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.43 MX$63.5

-41.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.99 MX$203

$5.38 MX$99.4

104.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.35

$1.45 MX$26.76

-1.38%

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

$21.2K MX$392.4K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

0.36%

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

$24.4K MX$450.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

5.82%

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

$58.0 MX$1,071

$85.4 MX$1,577

-32.09%

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

$22.77 MX$421

$23.46 MX$434

-2.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.98 MX$554

$28.43 MX$525

5.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.68 MX$622

$62.2 MX$1,149

-45.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.16 MX$373

$28.68 MX$530

-29.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.18 MX$95.8

$5.10 MX$94.3

1.57%

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

$220 MX$4,062

$201 MX$3,715

9.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,549 MX$84.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

15.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,028

$44.39 MX$820

25.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 MX$748

$41.35 MX$764

-2.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,871

$72.7 MX$1,344

39.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,655

$89.6 MX$1,656

-0.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 MX$11.0K

$979 MX$18.1K

-38.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,049

$373 MX$6,887

2.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 MX$19.1K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-38.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 MX$14.1K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-30.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,951 MX$36.1K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-50.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,163 MX$21.5K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-81.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.45

-1.31%

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

Last update for San Andres Tuxtla: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Andres Tuxtla

$381 33.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 2.3% $8.7

Groceries & Markets

San Andres Tuxtla

$262 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 1.6% $4.1

Eating Out

San Andres Tuxtla

$184 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 8.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

San Andres Tuxtla

$129 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 13.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Andres Tuxtla

$111 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 23.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

San Andres Tuxtla

$44 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 64.4% $28

Getting Around

San Andres Tuxtla

$15 * 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 241% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in San Andres Tuxtla versus $979 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in San Andres Tuxtla versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in San Andres Tuxtla vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Andres Tuxtla

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h ahead of San Andres Tuxtla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,719

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Andres Tuxtla Playa del Carmen 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Andres Tuxtla
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

San Andres Tuxtla vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,691 per month in San Andres Tuxtla 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 San Andres Tuxtla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,127 in San Andres Tuxtla and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $220 per month in San Andres Tuxtla and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Andres Tuxtla, where all-in costs run around $1,127, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In San Andres Tuxtla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Andres Tuxtla – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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