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

🙂 Solo nomad: San Juan is 43.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 51.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: San Juan is 33.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 54.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.85 ARS 8,494
$11.85 MX$205
-50.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.30 ARS 44.0K
$42.16 MX$730
-28.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.80 ARS 11.3K
$10.75 MX$186
-27.44%
Cappuccino
$1.49 ARS 2,160
$3.47 MX$60.2
-57.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 ARS 1,335
$1.45 MX$25.17
-36.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ARS 1,227
$0.90 MX$15.64
-5.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.03 ARS 2,943
$3.05 MX$52.9
-33.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 ARS 4,283
$4.42 MX$76.5
-33.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.73 ARS 1,055
$1.37 MX$23.72
-46.72%
White Bread (500g)
$0.65 ARS 938
$1.87 MX$32.43
-65.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.23 ARS 1,783
$1.54 MX$26.74
-20.13%
Eggs
$1.74 ARS 2,533
$2.50 MX$43.36
-30.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.36 ARS 4,879
$8.61 MX$149
-60.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.57 ARS 5,191
$8.63 MX$150
-58.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.03 ARS 5,859
$11.02 MX$191
-63.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.48 ARS 2,147
$2.75 MX$47.62
-46.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 ARS 2,211
$1.43 MX$24.73
6.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ARS 2,214
$1.87 MX$32.44
-18.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 ARS 3,050
$2.17 MX$37.54
-3.23%
Potato (1kg)
$0.62 ARS 900
$1.88 MX$32.61
-67.02%
Onion (1kg)
$0.68 ARS 988
$2.25 MX$38.91
-69.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.38 ARS 559
$1.07 MX$18.49
-64.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 ARS 1,276
$1.07 MX$18.59
-17.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.70 ARS 2,469
$4.15 MX$72.0
-59.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.15 ARS 7,472
$10.34 MX$179
-50.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 ARS 2,129
$1.68 MX$29.08
-12.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 ARS 2,595
$2.48 MX$43.02
-27.82%
🚌 Getting Around
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ARS 455
$0.55 MX$9.61
-43.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.11 ARS 7,425
$26.53 MX$459
-80.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.45 ARS 650
$3.22 MX$55.7
-86.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ARS 1,436
$2.48 MX$42.98
-60.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.81 ARS 6,990
$3.11 MX$53.9
54.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ARS 1,596
$1.26 MX$21.75
-12.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K ARS 45.3M
$30.7K MX$531.0K
1.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.6K ARS 29.9M
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-14.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$78.3 ARS 113.7K
$82.5 MX$1,429
-5.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.93 ARS 7,163
$22.29 MX$386
-77.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.90 ARS 14.4K
$30.02 MX$520
-67.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.84 ARS 25.9K
$51.4 MX$891
-65.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.99 ARS 8,697
$18.29 MX$317
-67.25%
Cinema Ticket
$2.04 ARS 2,970
$4.98 MX$86.3
-59.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$102 ARS 147.5K
$200 MX$3,464
-49.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,169 ARS 3.1M
$5,304 MX$91.9K
-59.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.8 ARS 73.7K
$35.71 MX$618
42.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.7 ARS 73.6K
$39.56 MX$685
28.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.4 ARS 142.9K
$80.6 MX$1,395
22.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 ARS 174.6K
$88.3 MX$1,530
36.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$151 ARS 219.5K
$969 MX$16.8K
-84.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$90.5 ARS 131.4K
$482 MX$8,352
-81.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$252 ARS 366.3K
$1,595 MX$27.6K
-84.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$199 ARS 289.5K
$1,184 MX$20.5K
-83.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,069 ARS 3.0M
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-48.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,114 ARS 3.1M
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-67.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$697 ARS 1.0M
$756 MX$13.1K
-7.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
79
11.42
591.77%

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

Last update for San Juan: March 3, 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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