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 28.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 48.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: San Cristobal is 11.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 52.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.51 VES 2,172
$11.61 MX$200
-61.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.85 VES 14.4K
$42.75 MX$738
-30.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.85 VES 5,220
$10.60 MX$183
2.36%
Cappuccino
$1.69 VES 813
$3.59 MX$62.0
-52.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 VES 406
$1.45 MX$25.08
-42.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 VES 310
$0.90 MX$15.50
-28.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.21 VES 581
$3.03 MX$52.4
-60.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 VES 713
$4.56 MX$78.8
-67.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 VES 635
$1.45 MX$25.07
-8.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 VES 726
$1.83 MX$31.55
-17.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.96 VES 464
$1.61 MX$27.77
-40.37%
Eggs
$2.15 VES 1,036
$2.54 MX$43.82
-15.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.71 VES 2,264
$8.54 MX$148
-44.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.23 VES 2,037
$8.47 MX$146
-50.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.83 VES 2,806
$10.86 MX$188
-46.32%
Apples (1kg)
$9.90 VES 4,766
$2.73 MX$47.13
262.64%
Banana (1kg)
$0.38 VES 184
$1.49 MX$25.77
-74.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.24 VES 596
$1.94 MX$33.55
-36.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 VES 547
$2.16 MX$37.38
-47.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 VES 520
$1.85 MX$31.88
-41.62%
Onion (1kg)
$0.94 VES 453
$2.19 MX$37.80
-57.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.52 VES 249
$1.07 MX$18.52
-51.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 VES 858
$1.08 MX$18.71
64.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.33 VES 1,600
$4.06 MX$70.1
-17.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.71 VES 2,749
$10.46 MX$181
-45.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 VES 363
$1.65 MX$28.56
-54.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 VES 596
$2.55 MX$44.01
-51.37%
🚌 Getting Around
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 VES 247
$0.56 MX$9.60
-8.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.74 VES 11.9K
$26.20 MX$453
-5.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.44 VES 1,175
$3.14 MX$54.2
-22.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.15 VES 1,517
$2.37 MX$40.96
32.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.13 VES 2,471
$3.24 MX$56.0
58.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.51 VES 248
$1.31 MX$22.70
-61.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.6K VES 14.2M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-3.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.3K VES 16.5M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
44.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$22.59 VES 10.9K
$83.1 MX$1,436
-72.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.84 VES 2,811
$22.15 MX$383
-73.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.91 VES 19.2K
$29.37 MX$507
35.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.26 VES 7,343
$51.2 MX$884
-70.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.18 VES 9,713
$18.69 MX$323
7.97%
Cinema Ticket
$7.13 VES 3,430
$4.89 MX$84.4
45.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$45.63 VES 22.0K
$199 MX$3,431
-77.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.18 VES 15.5K
$35.93 MX$621
-10.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.12 VES 9,682
$39.39 MX$680
-48.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.5 VES 46.4K
$80.3 MX$1,387
20.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$61.9 VES 29.8K
$87.6 MX$1,512
-29.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$174 VES 83.8K
$963 MX$16.6K
-81.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$118 VES 56.7K
$482 MX$8,326
-75.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$272 VES 130.8K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-83.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$174 VES 83.9K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-85.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$516 VES 248.3K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-86.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$397 VES 190.9K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-93.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Cristobal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$198 VES 95.3K
$726 MX$12.5K
-72.74%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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