Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: San Diego, CA is 76.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 213.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Diego, CA is 76.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 147.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.33 $23.33
$11.85 MX$208
96.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 $100
$42.16 MX$742
138.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.83 $14.83
$10.75 MX$189
37.95%
Cappuccino
$5.84 $5.84
$3.47 MX$61.1
68.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 $2.97
$1.45 MX$25.56
104.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 $2.60
$0.90 MX$15.88
188.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.09 $8.09
$3.05 MX$53.7
165.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.02 $9.02
$4.42 MX$77.7
104.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 $1.22
$1.37 MX$24.09
-10.95%
White Bread (500g)
$4.49 $4.49
$1.87 MX$32.93
140.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.35 $4.35
$1.54 MX$27.15
182.47%
Eggs
$5.29 $5.29
$2.50 MX$44.03
111.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.72 $13.72
$8.61 MX$151
59.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.58 $12.58
$8.63 MX$152
45.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.75 $18.75
$11.02 MX$194
70.15%
Apples (1kg)
$4.58 $4.58
$2.75 MX$48.36
66.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.43 MX$25.12
16.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 $3.88
$1.87 MX$32.94
107.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.79 $4.79
$2.17 MX$38.13
120.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.92 $2.92
$1.88 MX$33.12
55.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.48 $2.48
$2.25 MX$39.51
10.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.07 MX$18.78
105.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 $2.48
$1.07 MX$18.88
131.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.96 $11.96
$4.15 MX$73.1
188.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.16 $15.16
$10.34 MX$182
46.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 $1.75
$1.68 MX$29.54
4.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 $2.46
$2.48 MX$43.69
-0.81%
🚌 Getting Around
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.49 $2.49
$0.55 MX$9.76
352.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.6 $71.6
$26.53 MX$467
169.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 $3.09
$3.22 MX$56.6
-4.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.99 $1.99
$2.48 MX$43.65
-19.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.44 $28.44
$3.11 MX$54.7
814.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.26 MX$22.09
-1.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K $30.7K
$30.7K MX$539.3K
0.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K $27.3K
$24.0K MX$422.8K
13.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$273 $273
$82.5 MX$1,451
230.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$69.0 $69.0
$22.29 MX$392
209.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$78.6 $78.6
$30.02 MX$528
161.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.1 $67.1
$51.4 MX$905
30.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.53 $24.53
$18.29 MX$322
34.12%
Cinema Ticket
$15.99 $15.99
$4.98 MX$87.7
221.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,616 $1,616
$200 MX$3,518
708.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.5K $28.5K
$5,304 MX$93.3K
436.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.4 $58.4
$35.71 MX$628
63.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.4 $58.4
$39.56 MX$696
47.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.3 $99.3
$80.6 MX$1,417
23.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 $116
$88.3 MX$1,554
31.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 $2,812
$969 MX$17.1K
190.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,356 $2,356
$482 MX$8,482
388.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,894 $4,894
$1,595 MX$28.1K
206.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,099 $4,099
$1,184 MX$20.8K
246.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,662 $8,662
$4,050 MX$71.2K
113.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,713 $6,713
$6,522 MX$114.7K
2.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,594 $5,594
$756 MX$13.3K
639.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.39
11.42
-44.05%

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

Last update for San Diego, CA: March 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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