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Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: San José is 25.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.4% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San José is 24.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 30.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.88 UYU 624
$11.58 MX$212
37.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.6 UYU 2,184
$42 MX$769
32.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.84 UYU 425
$10.5 MX$192
3.24%
Cappuccino
$4.15 UYU 163
$3.43 MX$62.8
20.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 UYU 88
$1.49 MX$27.34
50.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 UYU 69.6
$0.94 MX$17.27
88.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.47 UYU 176
$3.08 MX$56.3
45.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 UYU 143
$4.37 MX$79.9
-16.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.99 UYU 38.72
$1.39 MX$25.44
-28.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.99 UYU 78.1
$1.85 MX$33.81
7.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.49 UYU 58.5
$1.58 MX$28.88
-5.70%
Eggs
$2.56 UYU 100
$2.51 MX$46
1.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.15 UYU 477
$8.26 MX$151
47.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.28 UYU 286
$8.7 MX$159
-16.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.88 UYU 427
$10.73 MX$196
1.40%
Apples (1kg)
$1.19 UYU 46.59
$2.61 MX$47.74
-54.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 UYU 58.3
$1.49 MX$27.28
-0.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.26 UYU 49.29
$1.95 MX$35.72
-35.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.45 UYU 57
$2.09 MX$38.26
-30.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 UYU 38.89
$1.81 MX$33.05
-45.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 UYU 46.77
$2.16 MX$39.62
-44.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 UYU 53.3
$1.03 MX$18.85
32.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 UYU 68.4
$1.08 MX$19.7
61.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.28 UYU 207
$4.14 MX$75.9
27.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.29 UYU 404
$8.88 MX$163
15.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 UYU 88.6
$1.67 MX$30.64
35.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 UYU 120
$2.53 MX$46.31
20.55%
🚌 Getting Around
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 UYU 46.55
$0.51 MX$9.27
133.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.63 UYU 1,752
$26.68 MX$488
67.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 UYU 59.3
$3.26 MX$59.7
-53.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 UYU 58.7
$2.51 MX$45.94
-40.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.93 UYU 429
$3.12 MX$57.2
250.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 UYU 71.1
$1.31 MX$23.96
38.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K UYU 1.4M
$30.9K MX$565K
12.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36K UYU 1.4M
$23.9K MX$436.9K
50.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$174 UYU 6,851
$83 MX$1,520
110.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.42 UYU 645
$22.59 MX$414
-27.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.85 UYU 1,957
$29.51 MX$540
68.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$51.6 MX$944
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.42 MX$337
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.59 UYU 416
$4.9 MX$89.7
116.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 UYU 19.3K
$200 MX$3,668
145.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,820 UYU 346.3K
$5,179 MX$94.8K
70.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.6 UYU 3,713
$36.41 MX$667
159.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.97 UYU 1,883
$39.91 MX$731
20.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 UYU 4,420
$79.9 MX$1,462
40.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 UYU 4,791
$87.7 MX$1,605
39.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$983 MX$18K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$470 MX$8,612
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,610 MX$29.5K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,189 MX$21.8K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,839 MX$70.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,205 MX$113.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$724 MX$13.2K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.68
11.42
-50.26%

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

Last update for San José: November 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 30, 2025

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