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 48.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 91.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Juan is 46.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 48.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.64 $18.64
$11.85 MX$211
57.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.5 $79.5
$42.16 MX$750
88.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.67 $9.67
$10.75 MX$191
-10.05%
Cappuccino
$3.63 $3.63
$3.47 MX$61.8
4.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.45 MX$25.85
22.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 $1.38
$0.90 MX$16.06
53.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 $3.06
$3.05 MX$54.3
0.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 $4.53
$4.42 MX$78.6
2.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.52 $2.52
$1.37 MX$24.36
83.94%
White Bread (500g)
$3.54 $3.54
$1.87 MX$33.31
89.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.54 MX$27.46
43.51%
Eggs
$6.08 $6.08
$2.50 MX$44.53
143.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.02 $9.02
$8.61 MX$153
4.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.23 $8.23
$8.63 MX$154
-4.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.83 $12.83
$11.02 MX$196
16.42%
Apples (1kg)
$5.85 $5.85
$2.75 MX$48.91
112.73%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 $2.73
$1.43 MX$25.41
90.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.99 $3.99
$1.87 MX$33.32
113.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.14 $4.14
$2.17 MX$38.56
90.78%
Potato (1kg)
$3.93 $3.93
$1.88 MX$33.50
109.04%
Onion (1kg)
$3.04 $3.04
$2.25 MX$39.96
35.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.06 $3.06
$1.07 MX$18.99
185.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.00 $2.00
$1.07 MX$19.10
86.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.11 $12.11
$4.15 MX$73.9
191.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.68 $15.68
$10.34 MX$184
51.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 $2.58
$1.68 MX$29.87
53.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 $3.29
$2.48 MX$44.19
32.66%
🚌 Getting Around
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.46 $1.46
$0.55 MX$9.87
165.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.58 $29.58
$26.53 MX$472
11.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.22 MX$57.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 $1.53
$2.48 MX$44.15
-38.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.95 $14.95
$3.11 MX$55.3
380.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 $0.94
$1.26 MX$22.34
-25.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K $36.0K
$30.7K MX$545.4K
17.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K $26.9K
$24.0K MX$427.6K
11.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$487 $487
$82.5 MX$1,467
489.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$79.1 $79.1
$22.29 MX$396
254.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$74.3 $74.3
$30.02 MX$534
147.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.83 $46.83
$51.4 MX$915
-8.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.35 $34.35
$18.29 MX$325
87.81%
Cinema Ticket
$12.20 $12.20
$4.98 MX$88.7
144.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 $466
$200 MX$3,558
133.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K $10.6K
$5,304 MX$94.4K
99.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.52 $45.52
$35.71 MX$635
27.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.6 $56.6
$39.56 MX$704
43.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 $91.5
$80.6 MX$1,433
13.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 $107
$88.3 MX$1,571
21.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 $1,584
$969 MX$17.2K
63.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$866 $866
$482 MX$8,579
79.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,363 $2,363
$1,595 MX$28.4K
48.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,383 $1,383
$1,184 MX$21.1K
16.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,290 $7,290
$4,050 MX$72.1K
80.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,334 $3,334
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-48.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Juan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,664 $2,664
$756 MX$13.5K
252.18%
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: March 1, 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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