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 48.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 51.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: San Juan is 26.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 54.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.85 ARS 7,958
$11.61 MX$200
-49.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.10 ARS 40.9K
$42.75 MX$738
-29.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.04 ARS 10.9K
$10.60 MX$183
-24.15%
Cappuccino
$1.49 ARS 2,025
$3.59 MX$62.0
-58.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 ARS 1,211
$1.45 MX$25.08
-38.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 ARS 1,145
$0.90 MX$15.50
-6.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.96 ARS 2,660
$3.03 MX$52.4
-35.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 ARS 4,201
$4.56 MX$78.8
-32.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.72 ARS 975
$1.45 MX$25.07
-50.34%
White Bread (500g)
$0.69 ARS 939
$1.83 MX$31.55
-62.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.27 ARS 1,728
$1.61 MX$27.77
-21.12%
Eggs
$1.73 ARS 2,353
$2.54 MX$43.82
-31.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.31 ARS 4,502
$8.54 MX$148
-61.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.41 ARS 4,643
$8.47 MX$146
-59.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.06 ARS 5,516
$10.86 MX$188
-62.62%
Apples (1kg)
$1.49 ARS 2,026
$2.73 MX$47.13
-45.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 ARS 1,979
$1.49 MX$25.77
-2.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.48 ARS 2,011
$1.94 MX$33.55
-23.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 ARS 2,927
$2.16 MX$37.38
-0.46%
Potato (1kg)
$0.63 ARS 851
$1.85 MX$31.88
-65.95%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ARS 868
$2.19 MX$37.80
-70.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.41 ARS 561
$1.07 MX$18.52
-61.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 ARS 1,261
$1.08 MX$18.71
-13.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.73 ARS 2,354
$4.06 MX$70.1
-57.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.87 ARS 6,622
$10.46 MX$181
-53.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 ARS 2,086
$1.65 MX$28.56
-7.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 ARS 2,475
$2.55 MX$44.01
-28.63%
🚌 Getting Around
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ARS 388
$0.56 MX$9.60
-48.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.05 ARS 6,864
$26.20 MX$453
-80.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.45 ARS 608
$3.14 MX$54.2
-85.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ARS 1,345
$2.37 MX$40.96
-58.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.77 ARS 6,488
$3.24 MX$56.0
47.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ARS 1,545
$1.31 MX$22.70
-12.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.0K ARS 43.6M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
4.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.4K ARS 29.1M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-10.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$78.7 ARS 107.0K
$83.1 MX$1,436
-5.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.98 ARS 6,778
$22.15 MX$383
-77.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.89 ARS 13.4K
$29.37 MX$507
-66.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.20 ARS 24.8K
$51.2 MX$884
-64.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.85 ARS 7,950
$18.69 MX$323
-68.70%
Cinema Ticket
$1.95 ARS 2,657
$4.89 MX$84.4
-60.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$105 ARS 143.1K
$199 MX$3,431
-47.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,187 ARS 3.0M
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-58.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.5 ARS 68.6K
$35.93 MX$621
40.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.15 ARS 66.8K
$39.39 MX$680
24.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ARS 137.1K
$80.3 MX$1,387
25.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 ARS 162.3K
$87.6 MX$1,512
36.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$152 ARS 207.2K
$963 MX$16.6K
-84.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$88.8 ARS 120.8K
$482 MX$8,326
-81.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$251 ARS 341.5K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-84.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$196 ARS 266.9K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-83.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,002 ARS 2.7M
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-49.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,132 ARS 2.9M
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-67.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$701 ARS 953.7K
$726 MX$12.5K
-3.45%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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