Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,500 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,500

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Juan and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,500 per month in San Juan vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Juan $2,500
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,548 per month in San Juan vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Juan $3,548
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,596 per month in San Juan vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Juan $4,596
Playa del Carmen $2,959

San Juan costs about 108% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Juan sits 84% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.78 $18.78

$10.92 MX$204

71.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 $81.9

$43.37 MX$808

88.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 $9.23

$11.78 MX$220

-21.65%

Cappuccino

$3.57 $3.57

$3.81 MX$71.0

-6.30%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.28 MX$23.90

42.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.78 MX$14.59

93.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.17 MX$59.0

-7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$4.93 MX$92.0

-0.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.41 MX$26.22

53.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.22 MX$41.33

64.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.42 MX$26.42

72.54%

Eggs

$7.30 $7.30

$2.52 MX$47.03

189.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 $12.39

$7.26 MX$135

70.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$7.70 MX$143

25.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$12.69 MX$237

5.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.78 MX$51.9

78.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.37 MX$25.50

93.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.55 MX$47.55

92.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.12 MX$39.58

125.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.94 MX$36.13

90.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.89 MX$35.16

104.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.15 MX$21.37

199.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.18 MX$21.98

39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$4.30 MX$80.1

173.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.36 $15.36

$9.95 MX$185

54.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.58 MX$29.52

98.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.67 MX$49.79

47.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 $0.78

$0.55 MX$10.31

41.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.28 $30.28

$26.62 MX$496

13.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$4.97 MX$92.6

-50.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.33 MX$62.1

-53.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.10 $42.10

$5.36 MX$99.8

685.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.44 MX$26.92

-18.06%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.8K $34.8K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

68.33%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.0K $28.0K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

19.42%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$320 $320

$84.8 MX$1,581

277.26%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$68.3 $68.3

$23.41 MX$436

191.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$28.66 MX$534

148.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$57.1 MX$1,063

-28.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 $7.39

$28.91 MX$539

-74.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 $10.43

$5.14 MX$95.8

102.92%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$836 $836

$207 MX$3,851

304.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

218.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$43.35 MX$808

32.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 $61.6

$41.44 MX$772

48.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$74.2 MX$1,383

47.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$89.3 MX$1,664

28.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 $1,934

$980 MX$18.3K

97.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$381 MX$7,099

191.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,515 $3,515

$1,708 MX$31.8K

105.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 $1,606

$1,075 MX$20.0K

49.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,447 $7,447

$3,943 MX$73.5K

88.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,654 $4,654

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-24.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,719 $2,719

$735 MX$13.7K

270.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 65.7% $728

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$459 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70.2% $322

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.4% $159

Eating Out

San Juan

$258 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 21.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.7% $5.4

Getting Around

San Juan

$44 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 15.8% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,934 in San Juan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in San Juan are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in San Juan versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

1 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Playa del Carmen 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

San Juan vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Juan is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,751 per month in San Juan and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,934 in San Juan.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,500 in San Juan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in San Juan at $2,500. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,500 in San Juan. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Juan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.