Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Felipe and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in San Felipe: $1,106 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in San Felipe
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San Felipe 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 Felipe

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,106

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,106 per month in San Felipe vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Felipe $1,106
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,777 per month in San Felipe vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Felipe $1,777
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in San Felipe vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Felipe $2,448
Playa del Carmen $3,000

San Felipe is about 8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Felipe and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Felipe 18% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.35 MX$136

$10.86 MX$201

-32.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.63 MX$806

$44.21 MX$817

-1.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.27 MX$153

$11.76 MX$217

-29.68%

Cappuccino

$3.49 MX$64.4

$3.68 MX$68.0

-5.16%

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

$1.35 MX$24.91

$1.34 MX$24.79

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.41

$0.82 MX$15.24

28.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.34

$3.06 MX$56.6

-19.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 MX$75.8

$4.94 MX$91.2

-17.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.38

$1.47 MX$27.17

11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$46.89

$2.22 MX$40.95

14.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$31.80

$1.48 MX$27.32

16.22%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.82

$2.49 MX$45.99

1.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 MX$156

$7.52 MX$139

11.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.46 MX$156

$7.96 MX$147

6.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 MX$217

$12.57 MX$232

-6.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 MX$49.26

$2.78 MX$51.3

-3.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.23

$1.43 MX$26.37

6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$2.62 MX$48.37

-27.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.76

$2.14 MX$39.49

-14.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$2.02 MX$37.38

-1.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.64

$1.99 MX$36.74

-6.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.39

$1.14 MX$21.01

25.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.02

$1.20 MX$22.18

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.1

$4.26 MX$78.7

5.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 MX$190

$10.02 MX$185

2.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$1.54 MX$28.41

13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$2.66 MX$49.17

15.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.65

$0.53 MX$9.73

18.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MX$48.65

$4.90 MX$90.6

-46.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 MX$35.73

$3.43 MX$63.5

-43.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.06 MX$204

$5.38 MX$99.4

105.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.73

$1.45 MX$26.76

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

$21.4K MX$395.3K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

1.11%

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

$24.5K MX$452.2K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

6.32%

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

$57.9 MX$1,070

$85.4 MX$1,577

-32.17%

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

$23.12 MX$427

$23.46 MX$434

-1.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.50 MX$545

$28.43 MX$525

3.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.66 MX$622

$62.2 MX$1,149

-45.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.47 MX$378

$28.68 MX$530

-28.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 MX$99.0

$5.10 MX$94.3

5.10%

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

$219 MX$4,051

$201 MX$3,715

9.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,580 MX$84.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

16.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MX$1,002

$44.39 MX$820

22.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.18 MX$742

$41.35 MX$764

-2.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 MX$1,842

$72.7 MX$1,344

37.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,662

$89.6 MX$1,656

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 MX$11.4K

$979 MX$18.1K

-36.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 MX$7,184

$373 MX$6,887

4.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-36.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 MX$14.0K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-30.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,934 MX$35.7K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-51.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,147 MX$21.2K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-81.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.45

-1.31%

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

Last update for San Felipe: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Felipe

$389 35.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 4.1% $16

Groceries & Markets

San Felipe

$265 23.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 2.4% $6.3

Eating Out

San Felipe

$156 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 28.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

San Felipe

$128 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Felipe

$111 10%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 24.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

San Felipe

$44 4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 63.2% $28

Getting Around

San Felipe

$15 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 249% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $617 in San Felipe versus $979 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in San Felipe versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $265 in San Felipe vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Felipe

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

1 h ahead of San Felipe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,452

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 Felipe Playa del Carmen 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Felipe
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 Felipe vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,660 per month in San Felipe and $1,806 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 Felipe, 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 $1,106 in San Felipe and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $219 per month in San Felipe and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Felipe, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In San Felipe 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 Felipe – 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 Felipe. 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.