Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pablo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pablo: $634 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$634

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $634 per month in San Pablo vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pablo $634
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $917 per month in San Pablo vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pablo $917
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,200 per month in San Pablo vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pablo $1,200
Playa del Carmen $3,016

San Pablo is about 48% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Pablo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Pablo 53% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ₱245

$10.76 MX$199

-63.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.47 ₱1,037

$43.03 MX$795

-61.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.81 ₱177

$11.79 MX$218

-76.17%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₱115

$3.87 MX$71.4

-52.71%

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

$0.38 ₱24.14

$1.37 MX$25.29

-72.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₱11.26

$0.84 MX$15.44

-78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.7

$3.10 MX$57.3

-66.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱103

$5.07 MX$93.6

-67.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₱105

$1.44 MX$26.55

15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.2

$2.23 MX$41.23

-50.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.1

$1.47 MX$27.17

-36.05%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$2.53 MX$46.71

-17.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 ₱324

$7.30 MX$135

-29.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ₱215

$7.86 MX$145

-56.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.73 ₱487

$12.79 MX$236

-39.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.90 MX$53.6

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 ₱88.8

$1.44 MX$26.53

-2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.55 MX$47.07

-36.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.3

$2.06 MX$38.03

-49.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.00 MX$36.97

-19.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.01 MX$37.07

-11.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.28

$1.19 MX$22.02

-48.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.95

$1.26 MX$23.23

-58.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ₱179

$4.40 MX$81.4

-35.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₱409

$9.59 MX$177

-32.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.0

$1.59 MX$29.41

-40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱127

$2.81 MX$51.9

-28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.37

$0.57 MX$10.47

-59.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.0

$4.98 MX$92.1

-83.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.79

$3.50 MX$64.6

-92.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$5.40 MX$99.8

-65.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₱72.5

$1.47 MX$27.08

-21.77%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

3.02%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-19.33%

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

$143 ₱9,016

$84.2 MX$1,556

70.05%

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

$11.84 ₱746

$23.99 MX$443

-50.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.37 ₱1,471

$29.02 MX$536

-19.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ₱323

$4.94 MX$91.3

3.85%

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

$132 ₱8,290

$204 MX$3,763

-35.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₱683.6K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

175.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.42 ₱1,852

$43.60 MX$806

-32.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.58 ₱1,232

$43.12 MX$797

-54.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,502

$75.8 MX$1,400

-5.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 ₱3,500

$88.6 MX$1,637

-37.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 ₱8,963

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-85.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 ₱7,875

$374 MX$6,911

-66.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 ₱13.0K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-87.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 ₱11.8K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-83.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$956 ₱60.2K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-75.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$811 ₱51.1K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-86.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$292 ₱18.4K

$754 MX$13.9K

-61.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

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

Last update for San Pablo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pablo

$178 28.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 23.1% $41

Groceries & Markets

San Pablo

$166 26.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 55.7% $93

Accommodation & Living

San Pablo

$125 19.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 199% $249

Clothing & Footwear

San Pablo

$79 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 42.6% $34

Eating Out

San Pablo

$72 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 180% $130

Sport & Entertainment

San Pablo

$10 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 610% $63

Getting Around

San Pablo

$3 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 1664% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $142 in San Pablo versus $1,008 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 run about 159% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in San Pablo versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $258 – making San Pablo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

10:22 10:22 AM

13 h behind San Pablo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

266,068

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Pablo Playa del Carmen 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $951 per month in San Pablo and $1,816 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 San Pablo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $634 in San Pablo and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 91%.

Kindergarten costs $132 per month in San Pablo and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Pablo, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In San Pablo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Pablo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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