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 58% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 216.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Diego, CA is 107.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 146.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.95 $22.95
$11.99 MX$227
91.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$99.8 $99.8
$42.47 MX$803
134.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.8 $14.8
$10.47 MX$198
41.36%
Cappuccino
$6.07 $6.07
$3.6 MX$68.2
68.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 $3.08
$1.44 MX$27.16
113.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 $2.59
$0.89 MX$16.79
191.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.88 $7.88
$3.09 MX$58.5
155.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.95 $8.95
$4.58 MX$86.6
95.41%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 $1.26
$1.38 MX$26.04
-8.70%
White Bread (500g)
$4.5 $4.5
$1.85 MX$34.9
143.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.42 $4.42
$1.57 MX$29.68
181.53%
Eggs
$5.04 $5.04
$2.55 MX$48.3
97.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.66 $13.66
$8.61 MX$163
58.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.77 $12.77
$8.54 MX$161
49.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.5 $18.5
$10.98 MX$208
68.49%
Apples (1kg)
$4.6 $4.6
$2.72 MX$51.4
69.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.51 MX$28.57
13.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.92 $3.92
$1.88 MX$35.63
108.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.73 $4.73
$2.19 MX$41.42
115.98%
Potato (1kg)
$2.98 $2.98
$1.87 MX$35.3
59.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.47 $2.47
$2.19 MX$41.37
12.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 $2.27
$1.07 MX$20.23
112.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.5 $2.5
$1.09 MX$20.64
129.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.2 $12.2
$3.96 MX$74.9
208.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.29 $15.29
$8.86 MX$167
72.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 $1.75
$1.72 MX$32.53
1.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 $2.54
$2.61 MX$49.37
-2.68%
🚌 Getting Around
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.56 $2.56
$0.52 MX$9.74
392.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.1 $72.1
$26.59 MX$503
171.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.97 $2.97
$3.24 MX$61.2
-8.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 $2.07
$2.38 MX$44.94
-13.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.69 $27.69
$3.11 MX$58.7
790.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 $1.26
$1.31 MX$24.85
-3.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K $30.7K
$30.3K MX$573K
1.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K $26.6K
$24K MX$453.6K
11.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$275 $275
$84.2 MX$1,592
226.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$67 $67
$22.14 MX$419
202.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$79.1 $79.1
$30.14 MX$570
162.57%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.6 $66.6
$52 MX$983
28.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.66 $24.66
$18.72 MX$354
31.73%
Cinema Ticket
$15.76 $15.76
$5.07 MX$95.9
210.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,625 $1,625
$200 MX$3,787
711.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.6K $28.6K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
436.92%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.1 $58.1
$35.74 MX$676
62.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.8 $58.8
$39.8 MX$753
47.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98 $98
$79 MX$1,493
24.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 $116
$88.4 MX$1,671
30.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,808 $2,808
$965 MX$18.3K
190.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,412 $2,412
$474 MX$8,968
408.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,005 $5,005
$1,653 MX$31.2K
202.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,128 $4,128
$1,202 MX$22.7K
243.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,534 $9,534
$3,081 MX$58.3K
209.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,940 $6,940
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-7.82%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
San Diego, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,341 $5,341
$792 MX$15K
574.51%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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