Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Cristobal de las Casas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in San Cristobal de las Casas: $925 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in San Cristobal de las Casas
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San Cristobal de las Casas Living Index
59

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

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San Cristobal de las Casas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$925

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Cristobal de las Casas 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 Cristobal de las Casas and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Cristobal de las Casas $925
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,420 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,420
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,915 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,915
Playa del Carmen $3,016

San Cristobal de las Casas is about 24% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Cristobal de las Casas and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Cristobal de las Casas 31% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 MX$99.0

$10.76 MX$199

-50.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.82 MX$514

$43.03 MX$795

-35.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 MX$112

$11.79 MX$218

-48.52%

Cappuccino

$2.48 MX$45.91

$3.87 MX$71.4

-35.92%

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

$1.62 MX$29.93

$1.37 MX$25.29

18.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.08

$0.84 MX$15.44

22.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$3.10 MX$57.3

-9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 MX$59.8

$5.07 MX$93.6

-36.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.10

$1.44 MX$26.55

-2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 MX$66.1

$2.23 MX$41.23

60.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.62

$1.47 MX$27.17

8.84%

Eggs

$2.27 MX$41.91

$2.53 MX$46.71

-10.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 MX$124

$7.30 MX$135

-8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 MX$76.0

$7.86 MX$145

-47.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.40 MX$118

$12.79 MX$236

-49.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 MX$60.9

$2.90 MX$53.6

13.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 MX$38.81

$1.44 MX$26.53

45.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.80

$2.55 MX$47.07

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MX$26.74

$2.06 MX$38.03

-29.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 MX$29.75

$2.00 MX$36.97

-19.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$2.01 MX$37.07

-11.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 MX$33.56

$1.19 MX$22.02

52.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$29.68

$1.26 MX$23.23

27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.88 MX$34.79

$4.40 MX$81.4

-57.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 MX$195

$9.59 MX$177

10.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 MX$44.35

$1.59 MX$29.41

50.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.27

$2.81 MX$51.9

-30.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$10.41

$0.57 MX$10.47

-1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 MX$49.67

$4.98 MX$92.1

-45.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 MX$51.6

$3.50 MX$64.6

-20.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$25.66

$1.47 MX$27.08

-5.44%

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

$19.0K MX$351.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-9.32%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$32.74 MX$605

$84.2 MX$1,556

-61.12%

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

$14.82 MX$274

$23.99 MX$443

-38.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.42 MX$377

$29.02 MX$536

-29.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.92 MX$423

$63.0 MX$1,164

-63.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.54 MX$435

$29.14 MX$539

-19.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 MX$124

$4.94 MX$91.3

36.23%

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

$208 MX$3,843

$204 MX$3,763

2.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,657 MX$49.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-32.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.35 MX$358

$43.60 MX$806

-55.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.33 MX$505

$43.12 MX$797

-36.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 MX$1,765

$75.8 MX$1,400

26.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 MX$999

$88.6 MX$1,637

-39.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 MX$8,014

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-56.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 MX$5,938

$374 MX$6,911

-14.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 MX$16.4K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 MX$9,741

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-52.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$835 MX$15.4K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-78.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 MX$12.3K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-89.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$403 MX$7,451

$754 MX$13.9K

-46.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.8

11.45

-14.41%

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

Last update for San Cristobal de las Casas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Cristobal de las Casas

$321 34.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 16.4% $53

Groceries & Markets

San Cristobal de las Casas

$242 26.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 6.6% $16

Eating Out

San Cristobal de las Casas

$122 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 65.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

San Cristobal de las Casas

$88 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 28% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Cristobal de las Casas

$68 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 102% $69

Getting Around

San Cristobal de las Casas

$47 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 12.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

San Cristobal de las Casas

$36 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 100% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $1,008 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 run about 87% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $258 – making San Cristobal de las Casas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Cristobal de las Casas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

1 h ahead of San Cristobal de las Casas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,509

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

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Between locations

San Cristobal de las Casas Playa del Carmen 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Cristobal de las Casas
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 Cristobal de las Casas vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas and $1,816 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 Cristobal de las Casas, 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 $925 in San Cristobal de las Casas and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 31%.

Public transport costs about 0% less in San Cristobal de las Casas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Cristobal de las Casas, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In San Cristobal de las Casas 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 Cristobal de las Casas – 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 Cristobal de las Casas. 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.