Cost of Living Comparison Between San Mateo, CA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between San Mateo, CA and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: San Mateo, CA is 95.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 255.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Mateo, CA is 53.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 190.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Mateo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.31 $20.31
$11.85 MX$208
71.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.9 $63.9
$42.16 MX$742
51.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.70 $11.70
$10.75 MX$189
8.84%
Cappuccino
$5.08 $5.08
$3.47 MX$61.1
46.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 $3.25
$1.45 MX$25.56
124.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.90 MX$15.88
177.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.06 $7.06
$3.05 MX$53.7
131.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.91 $9.91
$4.42 MX$77.7
124.21%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
San Mateo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 $1.48
$1.37 MX$24.09
8.03%
White Bread (500g)
$5.04 $5.04
$1.87 MX$32.93
169.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.27 $3.27
$1.54 MX$27.15
112.34%
Eggs
$5.04 $5.04
$2.50 MX$44.03
101.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.84 $14.84
$8.61 MX$151
72.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.34 $15.34
$8.63 MX$152
77.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.02 $22.02
$11.02 MX$194
99.82%
Apples (1kg)
$6.22 $6.22
$2.75 MX$48.36
126.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.43 MX$25.12
50.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.95 $4.95
$1.87 MX$32.94
164.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.81 $6.81
$2.17 MX$38.13
213.82%
Potato (1kg)
$3.44 $3.44
$1.88 MX$33.12
82.98%
Onion (1kg)
$4.37 $4.37
$2.25 MX$39.51
94.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.78 $2.78
$1.07 MX$18.78
159.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.75 $2.75
$1.07 MX$18.88
157.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.30 $11.30
$4.15 MX$73.1
172.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.62 $14.62
$10.34 MX$182
41.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 $1.72
$1.68 MX$29.54
2.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 $3.45
$2.48 MX$43.69
39.11%
🚌 Getting Around
San Mateo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.47 $4.47
$0.55 MX$9.76
712.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.6 $66.6
$26.53 MX$467
151.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.40 $3.40
$3.22 MX$56.6
5.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.92 $1.92
$2.48 MX$43.65
-22.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.54 $29.54
$3.11 MX$54.7
849.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 $1.25
$1.26 MX$22.09
-0.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K $29.4K
$30.7K MX$539.3K
-3.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K $25.7K
$24.0K MX$422.8K
6.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Mateo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$254 $254
$82.5 MX$1,451
207.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$48.21 $48.21
$22.29 MX$392
116.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.1 $63.1
$30.02 MX$528
110.26%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
San Mateo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$94.3 $94.3
$51.4 MX$905
83.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$322
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.31 $15.31
$4.98 MX$87.7
207.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Mateo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,958 $1,958
$200 MX$3,518
879.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.2K $26.2K
$5,304 MX$93.3K
393.04%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
San Mateo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.4 $52.4
$35.71 MX$628
46.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.06 $30.06
$39.56 MX$696
-24.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.4 $87.4
$80.6 MX$1,417
8.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 $126
$88.3 MX$1,554
42.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Mateo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,690 $2,690
$969 MX$17.1K
177.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,890 $2,890
$482 MX$8,482
499.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,862 $5,862
$1,595 MX$28.1K
267.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,530 $5,530
$1,184 MX$20.8K
367.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.9K $13.9K
$4,050 MX$71.2K
244.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,888 $8,888
$6,522 MX$114.7K
36.28%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
San Mateo, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,372 $7,372
$756 MX$13.3K
874.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.32
11.42
-44.66%

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

Last update for San Mateo, CA: 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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