Cost of Living Comparison Between San Cristobal and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between San Cristobal and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: San Cristobal is 40.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 48.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: San Cristobal is 21% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 51.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.42 VES 442
$11.99 MX$227
-63.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.45 VES 3,048
$42.47 MX$803
-28.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.56 VES 1,057
$10.47 MX$198
0.86%
Cappuccino
$1.7 VES 170
$3.6 MX$68.2
-52.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 VES 84.3
$1.44 MX$27.16
-41.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 VES 61
$0.89 MX$16.79
-31.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.26 VES 126
$3.09 MX$58.5
-59.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 VES 154
$4.58 MX$86.6
-66.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 VES 126
$1.38 MX$26.04
-8.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.59 VES 159
$1.85 MX$34.9
-14.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 VES 91.4
$1.57 MX$29.68
-42.04%
Eggs
$2.13 VES 213
$2.55 MX$48.3
-16.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.92 VES 492
$8.61 MX$163
-42.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.22 VES 422
$8.54 MX$161
-50.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.65 VES 566
$10.98 MX$208
-48.54%
Apples (1kg)
$10.09 VES 1,010
$2.72 MX$51.4
270.96%
Banana (1kg)
$0.39 VES 38.64
$1.51 MX$28.57
-74.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 VES 128
$1.88 MX$35.63
-31.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 VES 114
$2.19 MX$41.42
-47.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 VES 106
$1.87 MX$35.3
-43.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 VES 91.5
$2.19 MX$41.37
-58.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.48 VES 48.44
$1.07 MX$20.23
-55.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 VES 176
$1.09 MX$20.64
61.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.26 VES 327
$3.96 MX$74.9
-17.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.74 VES 575
$8.86 MX$167
-35.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 VES 73.5
$1.72 MX$32.53
-57.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 VES 124
$2.61 MX$49.37
-52.49%
🚌 Getting Around
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 VES 50.8
$0.52 MX$9.74
-1.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.41 VES 2,443
$26.59 MX$503
-8.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.52 VES 253
$3.24 MX$61.2
-22.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.08 VES 308
$2.38 MX$44.94
29.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.08 VES 508
$3.11 MX$58.7
63.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.52 VES 51.8
$1.31 MX$24.85
-60.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K VES 2.9M
$30.3K MX$573K
-2.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.7K VES 3.4M
$24K MX$453.6K
40.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$21.95 VES 2,197
$84.2 MX$1,592
-73.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.98 VES 598
$22.14 MX$419
-72.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.12 VES 4,115
$30.14 MX$570
36.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.19 VES 1,521
$52 MX$983
-70.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.64 VES 1,966
$18.72 MX$354
4.91%
Cinema Ticket
$7.11 VES 712
$5.07 MX$95.9
40.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$45.43 VES 4,547
$200 MX$3,787
-77.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.68 VES 3,270
$35.74 MX$676
-8.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.32 VES 2,034
$39.8 MX$753
-48.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96 VES 9,605
$79 MX$1,493
21.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$62 VES 6,202
$88.4 MX$1,671
-29.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$174 VES 17.4K
$965 MX$18.3K
-81.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$121 VES 12.1K
$474 MX$8,968
-74.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$278 VES 27.8K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-83.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$172 VES 17.2K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-85.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$533 VES 53.3K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-82.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$401 VES 40.1K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-94.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$196 VES 19.6K
$792 MX$15K
-75.21%
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 San Cristobal: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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