Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando, Mexico and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $1,140 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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San Fernando

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,140 per month in San Fernando vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Fernando $1,140
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,826 per month in San Fernando vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Fernando $1,826
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,511 per month in San Fernando vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Fernando $2,511
Playa del Carmen $2,959

San Fernando is about 5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Fernando and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Fernando 16% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.16 MX$170

$10.92 MX$203

-16.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.49 MX$696

$43.37 MX$805

-13.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 MX$156

$11.78 MX$219

-28.61%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$74.0

$3.81 MX$70.7

4.72%

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

$1.32 MX$24.49

$1.28 MX$23.81

3.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.58

$0.78 MX$14.54

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MX$41.64

$3.17 MX$58.8

-29.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 MX$69.5

$4.93 MX$91.7

-24.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MX$32.07

$1.41 MX$26.12

22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.41

$2.22 MX$41.17

0.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.20

$1.42 MX$26.32

33.80%

Eggs

$2.56 MX$47.48

$2.52 MX$46.85

1.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 MX$129

$7.26 MX$135

-4.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.85 MX$146

$7.70 MX$143

1.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 MX$222

$12.69 MX$236

-5.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 MX$55.9

$2.78 MX$51.7

8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 MX$31.87

$1.37 MX$25.41

25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 MX$39.14

$2.55 MX$47.37

-17.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.51

$2.12 MX$39.43

-27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.50

$1.94 MX$36.00

12.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.97

$1.89 MX$35.02

-3.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.26

$1.15 MX$21.29

32.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.01

$1.18 MX$21.89

-8.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 MX$78.1

$4.30 MX$79.8

-2.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.40 MX$175

$9.95 MX$185

-5.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 MX$34.97

$1.58 MX$29.41

18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 MX$60.8

$2.67 MX$49.60

22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MX$13.44

$0.55 MX$10.28

30.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.05 MX$558

$26.62 MX$494

12.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 MX$46.94

$4.97 MX$92.3

-49.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 MX$31.78

$3.33 MX$61.9

-48.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 MX$227

$5.36 MX$99.5

127.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$1.44 MX$26.82

-2.08%

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

$22.8K MX$423.1K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

10.24%

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

$21.8K MX$405.6K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

-6.93%

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

$61.8 MX$1,147

$84.8 MX$1,575

-27.17%

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

$25.25 MX$469

$23.41 MX$435

7.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 MX$490

$28.66 MX$532

-7.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.84 MX$573

$57.1 MX$1,059

-45.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.41 MX$379

$28.91 MX$537

-29.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MX$93.2

$5.14 MX$95.4

-2.33%

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

$218 MX$4,050

$207 MX$3,836

5.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,259 MX$79.1K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

8.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$989

$43.35 MX$805

22.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.76 MX$757

$41.44 MX$770

-1.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,904

$74.2 MX$1,378

38.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 MX$1,785

$89.3 MX$1,657

7.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 MX$12.4K

$980 MX$18.2K

-31.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 MX$7,001

$381 MX$7,072

-1.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-41.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 MX$14.0K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-29.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,008 MX$37.3K

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-49.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,178 MX$21.9K

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-80.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.45

-1.22%

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

Last update for San Fernando: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Fernando

$377 33.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 1% $3.9

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando

$259 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.6% $4

Eating Out

San Fernando

$174 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 16.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando

$132 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando

$113 10%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 20.7% $23

Getting Around

San Fernando

$44 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 14.6% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando

$41 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 64.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $668 in San Fernando versus $980 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 $37 in San Fernando versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in San Fernando vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Fernando

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

20:57 8:57 PM

1 h ahead of San Fernando

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,867

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

San Fernando Playa del Carmen 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,710 per month in San Fernando 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 Fernando, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $668 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,140 in San Fernando and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes San Fernando about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $218 per month in San Fernando and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,140 in San Fernando and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,140 in San Fernando to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.