Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco de Macoris and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in San Francisco de Macoris: $691 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco de Macoris
Learn more

San Francisco de Macoris Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

San Francisco de Macoris

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$691

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $691 per month in San Francisco de Macoris vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Francisco de Macoris $691
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,139 per month in San Francisco de Macoris vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Francisco de Macoris $1,139
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,588 per month in San Francisco de Macoris vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Francisco de Macoris $1,588
Playa del Carmen $2,959

San Francisco de Macoris is about 43% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both San Francisco de Macoris and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Francisco de Macoris 49% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.71 DOP 583

$10.92 MX$203

-11.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.52 DOP 2,915

$43.37 MX$805

11.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 DOP 457

$11.78 MX$219

-35.48%

Cappuccino

$2.27 DOP 137

$3.81 MX$70.7

-40.42%

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

$1.01 DOP 60.6

$1.28 MX$23.81

-21.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 DOP 34.87

$0.78 MX$14.54

-25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 DOP 145

$3.17 MX$58.8

-23.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 DOP 190

$4.93 MX$91.7

-35.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 DOP 80.8

$1.41 MX$26.12

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 DOP 90.4

$2.22 MX$41.17

-31.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 DOP 93.5

$1.42 MX$26.32

9.86%

Eggs

$2.34 DOP 141

$2.52 MX$46.85

-7.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.97 DOP 419

$7.26 MX$135

-3.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 DOP 333

$7.70 MX$143

-27.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.67 DOP 401

$12.69 MX$236

-47.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 DOP 185

$2.78 MX$51.7

11.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 DOP 49.98

$1.37 MX$25.41

-39.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 DOP 165

$2.55 MX$47.37

7.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 DOP 112

$2.12 MX$39.43

-12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 DOP 116

$1.94 MX$36.00

-0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 DOP 127

$1.89 MX$35.02

12.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 DOP 59.2

$1.15 MX$21.29

-14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 DOP 56.9

$1.18 MX$21.89

-19.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 DOP 308

$4.30 MX$79.8

19.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 DOP 608

$9.95 MX$185

1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 DOP 153

$1.58 MX$29.41

60.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 DOP 170

$2.67 MX$49.60

5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 DOP 191

$4.97 MX$92.3

-36.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 DOP 134

$3.33 MX$61.9

-32.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 DOP 338

$5.36 MX$99.5

5.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 DOP 83.5

$1.44 MX$26.82

-3.47%

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

$29.6K DOP 1.8M

$20.7K MX$383.8K

43.18%

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

$34.3K DOP 2.1M

$23.5K MX$435.8K

46.05%

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

$90.4 DOP 5,429

$84.8 MX$1,575

6.58%

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

$31.69 DOP 1,904

$23.41 MX$435

35.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.14 DOP 2,111

$28.66 MX$532

22.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 DOP 431

$5.14 MX$95.4

39.69%

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

$252 DOP 15.2K

$207 MX$3,836

22.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,337 DOP 440.8K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

86.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.36 DOP 2,725

$43.35 MX$805

4.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.39 DOP 2,727

$41.44 MX$770

9.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 DOP 5,261

$74.2 MX$1,378

18.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 DOP 7,286

$89.3 MX$1,657

35.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

11.45

18.43%

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

Last update for San Francisco de Macoris: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Francisco de Macoris

$217 31.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 17.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Francisco de Macoris

$157 22.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 12.9% $20

Eating Out

San Francisco de Macoris

$152 22.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 32.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

San Francisco de Macoris

$135 19.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.1% $23

Getting Around

San Francisco de Macoris

$14 * 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 251% $36

Sport & Entertainment

San Francisco de Macoris

$14 * 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 369% $53

Accommodation & Living

San Francisco de Macoris

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in San Francisco de Macoris versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $217 in San Francisco de Macoris vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so San Francisco de Macoris wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇴 San Francisco de Macoris

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

19:21 7:21 PM

1 h behind San Francisco de Macoris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

245,397

149,923

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.08 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.34 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Francisco de Macoris Playa del Carmen 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Francisco de Macoris
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 Francisco de Macoris vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,036 per month in San Francisco de Macoris and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $691 in San Francisco de Macoris and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes San Francisco de Macoris about 43% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $252 per month in San Francisco de Macoris and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in San Francisco de Macoris, where all-in costs run around $691, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In San Francisco de Macoris 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 $691 in San Francisco de Macoris to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.