Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,263 in San Lorenzo, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. The total is higher in San Lorenzo despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in San Lorenzo
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San Lorenzo Living Index
57

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

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San Lorenzo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,263

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Lorenzo 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 Lorenzo and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,263 per month in San Lorenzo vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Lorenzo $1,263
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,995 per month in San Lorenzo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Lorenzo $1,995
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,728 per month in San Lorenzo vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Lorenzo $2,728
Playa del Carmen $2,962

San Lorenzo costs about 5% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Lorenzo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Lorenzo 7% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 $11.94

$10.67 MX$199

11.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$43.80 MX$815

93.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 $9.08

$11.79 MX$219

-22.99%

Cappuccino

$3.47 $3.47

$3.79 MX$70.5

-8.44%

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

$1.88 $1.88

$1.30 MX$24.14

44.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.83 MX$15.51

75.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.15 MX$58.6

-2.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.93 MX$91.8

3.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.41 MX$26.22

56.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.20 MX$40.86

69.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.47 MX$27.40

65.99%

Eggs

$7.93 $7.93

$2.50 MX$46.46

217.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$7.29 MX$136

73.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.67 $9.67

$7.95 MX$148

21.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$12.86 MX$239

4.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.90 MX$53.9

70.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.38 MX$25.74

86.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.49 MX$46.35

93.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.03 MX$37.77

130.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.02 MX$37.68

92.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.90 MX$35.42

105.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.14 MX$21.30

204.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.24 MX$23.05

27.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.84 $11.84

$4.27 MX$79.5

177.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.44 $15.44

$9.81 MX$183

57.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.59 MX$29.51

86.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.75 MX$51.1

49.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$4.76 MX$88.6

-46.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.25 MX$60.5

-52.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.24 $41.24

$5.39 MX$100

665.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.53 MX$28.44

-17.65%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

62.58%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

18.79%

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

$320 $320

$83.5 MX$1,554

283.17%

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

$69.6 $69.6

$23.19 MX$431

200.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 $69.6

$27.61 MX$514

152.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 $10.46

$5.00 MX$93.1

109.20%

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

$818 $818

$207 MX$3,854

295.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

128.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$43.45 MX$809

27.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$42.54 MX$792

44.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$72.8 MX$1,354

50.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$88.4 MX$1,645

28.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Lorenzo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Lorenzo

$459 36.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 70.8% $325

Groceries & Markets

San Lorenzo

$416 33%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 38.2% $159

Eating Out

San Lorenzo

$203 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 1.5% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

San Lorenzo

$153 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 27.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

San Lorenzo

$21 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 218% $46

Getting Around

San Lorenzo

$10 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 396% $40

Accommodation & Living

San Lorenzo

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in San Lorenzo versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $416 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Lorenzo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

1 h behind San Lorenzo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,373

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Lorenzo Playa del Carmen 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Lorenzo is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,894 per month in San Lorenzo and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,263 in San Lorenzo and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $818 per month in San Lorenzo and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,263 in San Lorenzo and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,263 in San Lorenzo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.