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 24.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 90.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Juan is 69.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 50.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.33 $19.33
$11.99 MX$227
61.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.2 $82.2
$42.47 MX$803
93.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.81 $9.81
$10.47 MX$198
-6.30%
Cappuccino
$3.53 $3.53
$3.6 MX$68.2
-1.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 $1.72
$1.44 MX$27.16
19.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 $1.44
$0.89 MX$16.79
61.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.07 $3.07
$3.09 MX$58.5
-0.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.57 $4.57
$4.58 MX$86.6
-0.22%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.52 $2.52
$1.38 MX$26.04
82.61%
White Bread (500g)
$3.6 $3.6
$1.85 MX$34.9
94.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.57 MX$29.68
43.31%
Eggs
$6.15 $6.15
$2.55 MX$48.3
141.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.56 $8.56
$8.61 MX$163
-0.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.44 $8.44
$8.54 MX$161
-1.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.97 $12.97
$10.98 MX$208
18.12%
Apples (1kg)
$5.71 $5.71
$2.72 MX$51.4
109.93%
Banana (1kg)
$2.7 $2.7
$1.51 MX$28.57
78.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.95 $3.95
$1.88 MX$35.63
110.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.04 $4.04
$2.19 MX$41.42
84.47%
Potato (1kg)
$3.88 $3.88
$1.87 MX$35.3
107.49%
Onion (1kg)
$3.07 $3.07
$2.19 MX$41.37
40.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.1 $3.1
$1.07 MX$20.23
189.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.97 $1.97
$1.09 MX$20.64
80.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.06 $12.06
$3.96 MX$74.9
204.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.31 $17.31
$8.86 MX$167
95.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 $2.52
$1.72 MX$32.53
46.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 $3.23
$2.61 MX$49.37
23.75%
🚌 Getting Around
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 $1.49
$0.52 MX$9.74
186.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.3 $30.3
$26.59 MX$503
13.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.24 MX$61.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 $1.46
$2.38 MX$44.94
-38.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.71 $14.71
$3.11 MX$58.7
372.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.31 MX$24.85
-22.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.3K $36.3K
$30.3K MX$573K
19.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27K $27K
$24K MX$453.6K
12.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$491 $491
$84.2 MX$1,592
482.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$78.8 $78.8
$22.14 MX$419
255.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.5 $73.5
$30.14 MX$570
143.73%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.9 $46.9
$52 MX$983
-9.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.31 $35.31
$18.72 MX$354
88.62%
Cinema Ticket
$11.76 $11.76
$5.07 MX$95.9
131.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$464 $464
$200 MX$3,787
131.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K $10.6K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
98.87%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.09 $45.09
$35.74 MX$676
26.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.5 $56.5
$39.8 MX$753
41.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.1 $90.1
$79 MX$1,493
14.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 $108
$88.4 MX$1,671
22.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,606 $1,606
$965 MX$18.3K
66.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$866 $866
$474 MX$8,968
82.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,414 $2,414
$1,653 MX$31.2K
46.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 $1,397
$1,202 MX$22.7K
16.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,790 $4,790
$3,081 MX$58.3K
55.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,252 $2,252
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-70.09%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,998 $1,998
$792 MX$15K
152.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.71
11.42
-50.00%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.