Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $807 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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San Fernando

🇵🇭 Philippines

$807

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/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 $807 per month in San Fernando vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Fernando $807
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,271 per month in San Fernando vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Fernando $1,271
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,735 per month in San Fernando vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Fernando $1,735
Playa del Carmen $2,962

San Fernando is about 33% 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 40% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 ₱195

$10.67 MX$201

-71.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.84 ₱1,514

$43.80 MX$824

-45.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱179

$11.79 MX$222

-76.08%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ₱109

$3.79 MX$71.2

-54.88%

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

$0.64 ₱40.37

$1.30 MX$24.41

-50.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₱24.20

$0.83 MX$15.69

-54.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ₱69.2

$3.15 MX$59.2

-65.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₱124

$4.93 MX$92.9

-60.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ₱112

$1.41 MX$26.51

24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 ₱54.9

$2.20 MX$41.32

-60.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ₱61.0

$1.47 MX$27.71

-34.69%

Eggs

$1.90 ₱121

$2.50 MX$46.99

-24.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.60 ₱292

$7.29 MX$137

-36.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ₱210

$7.95 MX$150

-58.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 ₱447

$12.86 MX$242

-45.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ₱164

$2.90 MX$54.5

-11.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 ₱131

$1.38 MX$26.03

49.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 ₱174

$2.49 MX$46.88

10.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.1

$2.03 MX$38.20

-54.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 ₱87.8

$2.02 MX$38.11

-31.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ₱83.7

$1.90 MX$35.82

-30.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.03

$1.14 MX$21.54

-42.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₱22.34

$1.24 MX$23.32

-71.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ₱172

$4.27 MX$80.4

-36.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.96 ₱442

$9.81 MX$185

-29.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₱47.67

$1.59 MX$29.85

-52.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ₱187

$2.75 MX$51.7

7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.77

$0.51 MX$9.69

-50.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.59 ₱863

$27.39 MX$515

-50.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₱63.6

$4.76 MX$89.6

-78.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.68

$3.25 MX$61.1

-93.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱123

$5.39 MX$101

-64.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱80.6

$1.53 MX$28.76

-16.99%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.2K MX$399.2K

-0.91%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$23.3K MX$437.8K

-18.08%

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

$96.3 ₱6,112

$83.5 MX$1,571

15.31%

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

$17.18 ₱1,091

$23.19 MX$436

-25.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.29 ₱1,923

$27.61 MX$520

9.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.66 ₱2,010

$56.4 MX$1,062

-43.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.57 ₱988

$28.19 MX$531

-44.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.66 ₱296

$5.00 MX$94.1

-6.80%

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

$267 ₱17.0K

$207 MX$3,897

29.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ₱854.6K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

157.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.06 ₱3,115

$43.45 MX$818

12.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 ₱2,395

$42.54 MX$801

-11.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ₱4,535

$72.8 MX$1,369

-1.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 ₱4,975

$88.4 MX$1,663

-11.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₱25.5K

$995 MX$18.7K

-59.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₱16.9K

$382 MX$7,197

-30.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 ₱46.0K

$1,674 MX$31.5K

-56.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 ₱35.5K

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-48.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,249 ₱269.8K

$3,909 MX$73.6K

8.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,385 ₱151.4K

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-61.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-38.86%

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

Last update for San Fernando: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Fernando

$266 32.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 44% $117

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando

$167 20.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 54% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando

$144 17.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 6.6% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando

$106 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 4.5% $4.8

Eating Out

San Fernando

$67 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 199% $133

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando

$41 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 62.2% $25

Getting Around

San Fernando

$17 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 204% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in San Fernando versus $995 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 $24 in San Fernando versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $257 – making San Fernando the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Fernando

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

13 h behind San Fernando

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

354,666

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Fernando Playa del Carmen 15,020 km ≈ 19 h 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 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,211 per month in San Fernando and $1,804 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 $402 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $807 in San Fernando and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes San Fernando about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 50% less in San Fernando. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in San Fernando, where all-in costs run around $807, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In San Fernando it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $807 in San Fernando to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, San Fernando is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.