Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando, Trinidad And Tobago and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,261 in San Fernando, rent and utilities included – about $680 less a year. The total is higher in San Fernando despite lower rent and utilities.

60

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

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,261

/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 $1,261 per month in San Fernando vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Fernando $1,261
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,030 per month in San Fernando vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Fernando $2,030
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,799 per month in San Fernando vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Fernando $2,799
Playa del Carmen $2,959

San Fernando costs about 5% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Fernando and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Fernando 7% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.49 TTD 70.8

$10.92 MX$203

-3.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.5 TTD 395

$43.37 MX$808

34.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 TTD 55.2

$11.78 MX$219

-30.56%

Cappuccino

$3.72 TTD 25.14

$3.81 MX$71.0

-2.36%

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

$1.01 TTD 6.80

$1.28 MX$23.89

-21.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 TTD 4.93

$0.78 MX$14.58

-6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 TTD 12.14

$3.17 MX$59.0

-43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 TTD 17.46

$4.93 MX$91.9

-47.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 TTD 13.97

$1.41 MX$26.20

46.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 TTD 15.76

$2.22 MX$41.30

4.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 TTD 18.61

$1.42 MX$26.40

94.37%

Eggs

$3.81 TTD 25.73

$2.52 MX$47.00

51.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.47 TTD 43.66

$7.26 MX$135

-10.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 TTD 68.1

$7.70 MX$143

31.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 TTD 59.5

$12.69 MX$236

-30.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.37 TTD 36.26

$2.78 MX$51.9

93.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 TTD 17.02

$1.37 MX$25.49

83.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 TTD 25.13

$2.55 MX$47.52

45.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 TTD 28.81

$2.12 MX$39.55

101.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 TTD 5.22

$1.94 MX$36.11

-60.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 TTD 5.21

$1.89 MX$35.13

-59.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 TTD 10.02

$1.15 MX$21.36

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 TTD 7.73

$1.18 MX$21.96

-2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 TTD 37.56

$4.30 MX$80.0

29.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.76 TTD 120

$9.95 MX$185

78.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 TTD 9.98

$1.58 MX$29.50

-6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 TTD 20.08

$2.67 MX$49.76

11.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 TTD 3.11

$0.55 MX$10.31

-16.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.91 TTD 303

$26.62 MX$496

68.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.91 TTD 6.11

$4.97 MX$92.6

-81.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 TTD 5.65

$3.33 MX$62.1

-74.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.58 TTD 98.5

$5.36 MX$99.8

172.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 TTD 7.84

$1.44 MX$26.90

-19.44%

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

$36.3K TTD 245.4K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

75.88%

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

$40.8K TTD 275.6K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

73.96%

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

$44.29 TTD 299

$84.8 MX$1,580

-47.77%

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

$42.32 TTD 286

$23.41 MX$436

80.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.25 TTD 305

$28.66 MX$534

57.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 TTD 352

$57.1 MX$1,063

-8.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.39 TTD 151

$28.91 MX$539

-22.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 TTD 58.0

$5.14 MX$95.7

67.12%

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

$403 TTD 2,722

$207 MX$3,848

95.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K TTD 71.9K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

171.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 TTD 363

$43.35 MX$808

23.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.48 TTD 246

$41.44 MX$772

-11.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 TTD 584

$74.2 MX$1,382

16.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 TTD 592

$89.3 MX$1,663

-1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 TTD 3,496

$980 MX$18.2K

-47.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 TTD 2,686

$381 MX$7,095

4.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 TTD 6,180

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-46.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 TTD 4,887

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-32.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,940 TTD 13.1K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-50.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,527 TTD 10.3K

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-75.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,023 TTD 6,908

$735 MX$13.7K

39.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

11.45

-49.78%

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

Last update for San Fernando: October 27, 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

$398 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 4.3% $17

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando

$317 25.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 19.7% $62

Eating Out

San Fernando

$174 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 16.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando

$132 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 3.8% $5

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando

$119 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.1% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando

$69 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 2.8% $2

Getting Around

San Fernando

$52 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2.7% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 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.

Salaries run about 39% higher in San Fernando. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in San Fernando versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 San Fernando

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

1 h behind San Fernando

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,419

149,923

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.148 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.75 TTD (1 TTD = 0.148 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Fernando Playa del Carmen 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 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 – San Fernando is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,892 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 $518 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,261 in San Fernando and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 5% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,261 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,261 in San Fernando. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Fernando makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.