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 19.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 20.7% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San José is 11.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 28.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.42 UYU 640
$11.85 MX$211
38.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 UYU 2,142
$42.16 MX$750
30.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.81 UYU 422
$10.75 MX$191
0.56%
Cappuccino
$4.26 UYU 166
$3.47 MX$61.8
22.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 UYU 86.6
$1.45 MX$25.85
53.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 UYU 66.9
$0.90 MX$16.06
90.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.27 UYU 167
$3.05 MX$54.3
40.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 UYU 144
$4.42 MX$78.6
-16.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 UYU 39.47
$1.37 MX$24.36
-26.28%
White Bread (500g)
$1.97 UYU 76.9
$1.87 MX$33.31
5.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.49 UYU 57.9
$1.54 MX$27.46
-3.25%
Eggs
$2.56 UYU 99.7
$2.50 MX$44.53
2.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.33 UYU 481
$8.61 MX$153
43.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.55 UYU 294
$8.63 MX$154
-12.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 UYU 425
$11.02 MX$196
-1.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.25 UYU 48.67
$2.75 MX$48.91
-54.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 UYU 56.8
$1.43 MX$25.41
2.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.24 UYU 48.29
$1.87 MX$33.32
-33.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.43 UYU 55.8
$2.17 MX$38.56
-34.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 UYU 39.66
$1.88 MX$33.50
-45.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 UYU 48.98
$2.25 MX$39.96
-44.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 UYU 52.7
$1.07 MX$18.99
26.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 UYU 64.8
$1.07 MX$19.10
55.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.12 UYU 200
$4.15 MX$73.9
23.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.43 UYU 407
$10.34 MX$184
0.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.37 UYU 92.6
$1.68 MX$29.87
41.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 UYU 117
$2.48 MX$44.19
21.37%
🚌 Getting Around
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.25 UYU 48.61
$0.55 MX$9.87
127.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.66 UYU 1,703
$26.53 MX$472
64.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 UYU 58.9
$3.22 MX$57.2
-53.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.51 UYU 59.0
$2.48 MX$44.15
-39.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.91 UYU 426
$3.11 MX$55.3
250.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.83 UYU 71.3
$1.26 MX$22.34
45.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K UYU 1.4M
$30.7K MX$545.4K
13.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.9K UYU 1.4M
$24.0K MX$427.6K
53.35%
🧾 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 6,805
$82.5 MX$1,467
111.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.56 UYU 646
$22.29 MX$396
-25.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.55 UYU 1,932
$30.02 MX$534
65.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$51.4 MX$915
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$325
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.59 UYU 413
$4.98 MX$88.7
112.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$480 UYU 18.7K
$200 MX$3,558
139.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,930 UYU 348.3K
$5,304 MX$94.4K
68.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.3 UYU 3,640
$35.71 MX$635
161.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.53 UYU 1,854
$39.56 MX$704
20.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 UYU 4,490
$80.6 MX$1,433
42.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 UYU 4,829
$88.3 MX$1,571
40.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$969 MX$17.2K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$482 MX$8,579
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,184 MX$21.1K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San José
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$756 MX$13.5K
-
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 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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