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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 11% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 21% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San José is 34.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 31.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.99 UYU 619
$11.88 MX$210
34.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.5 UYU 2,149
$41.90 MX$740
32.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.82 UYU 419
$10.55 MX$186
2.56%
Cappuccino
$4.06 UYU 157
$3.60 MX$63.5
12.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 UYU 83.3
$1.50 MX$26.45
43.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 UYU 66.6
$0.91 MX$16.09
89.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.30 UYU 167
$3.08 MX$54.4
39.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.75 UYU 145
$4.47 MX$78.8
-16.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 UYU 39.26
$1.39 MX$24.54
-27.34%
White Bread (500g)
$1.99 UYU 77.2
$1.90 MX$33.47
4.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 UYU 57.4
$1.60 MX$28.27
-7.50%
Eggs
$2.57 UYU 99.5
$2.60 MX$45.97
-1.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.08 UYU 468
$8.36 MX$148
44.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.31 UYU 283
$8.64 MX$152
-15.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 UYU 432
$10.91 MX$192
2.29%
Apples (1kg)
$1.20 UYU 46.46
$2.61 MX$45.98
-54.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 UYU 56.2
$1.44 MX$25.46
0.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.23 UYU 47.79
$1.96 MX$34.55
-37.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.46 UYU 56.5
$2.12 MX$37.34
-31.13%
Potato (1kg)
$0.94 UYU 36.22
$1.86 MX$32.87
-49.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 UYU 46.31
$2.22 MX$39.20
-45.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 UYU 52.6
$1.02 MX$17.99
33.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 UYU 65.4
$1.04 MX$18.36
62.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.08 UYU 197
$4.05 MX$71.5
25.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.32 UYU 399
$10.18 MX$180
1.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 UYU 91.3
$1.69 MX$29.79
39.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.90 UYU 112
$2.62 MX$46.25
10.69%
🚌 Getting Around
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 UYU 48.11
$0.51 MX$9.09
143.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.06 UYU 1,706
$26.52 MX$468
66.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.49 UYU 57.7
$3.15 MX$55.7
-52.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.50 UYU 57.9
$2.46 MX$43.49
-39.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.94 UYU 424
$3.26 MX$57.5
235.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 UYU 72.8
$1.32 MX$23.36
42.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.0K UYU 1.3M
$30.1K MX$531.0K
13.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.7K UYU 1.4M
$23.8K MX$419.3K
50.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$169 UYU 6,551
$83.5 MX$1,474
102.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.43 UYU 636
$22.86 MX$404
-28.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.59 UYU 1,881
$30.04 MX$530
61.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$51.9 MX$916
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.30 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.50 UYU 406
$5.12 MX$90.4
105.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$485 UYU 18.8K
$201 MX$3,541
141.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,800 UYU 340.7K
$5,318 MX$93.9K
65.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.2 UYU 3,609
$35.73 MX$631
160.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.99 UYU 1,858
$40.27 MX$711
19.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 UYU 4,495
$79.2 MX$1,398
46.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 UYU 4,709
$89.3 MX$1,576
36.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$947 MX$16.7K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$483 MX$8,525
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,599 MX$28.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,211 MX$21.4K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$730 MX$12.9K
-
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: January 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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