Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro, Belize and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,602 in San Pedro, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Pedro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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San Pedro

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,602

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,602 per month in San Pedro vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pedro $1,602
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,720 per month in San Pedro vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pedro $2,720
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,837 per month in San Pedro vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pedro $3,837
Playa del Carmen $2,962

San Pedro costs about 33% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Pedro sits 19% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.39 BZD 18.78

$10.67 MX$200

-12.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.50 BZD 59.0

$43.80 MX$819

-32.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

Cappuccino

$2.99 BZD 5.98

$3.79 MX$70.8

-21.11%

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

$1.41 BZD 2.82

$1.30 MX$24.26

8.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 BZD 3.02

$0.83 MX$15.59

81.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 BZD 5.86

$3.15 MX$58.9

-6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 BZD 7.85

$4.93 MX$92.3

-20.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$5.15 BZD 10.29

$1.41 MX$26.35

265.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 BZD 4.82

$2.20 MX$41.07

9.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.62 BZD 11.23

$1.47 MX$27.54

282.31%

Eggs

$1.86 BZD 3.71

$2.50 MX$46.70

-25.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 BZD 23.82

$7.29 MX$136

63.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.29 BZD 26.58

$7.95 MX$149

67.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 BZD 21.52

$12.86 MX$241

-16.33%

Apples (1kg)

$14.48 BZD 28.96

$2.90 MX$54.2

399.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 BZD 2.23

$1.38 MX$25.87

-18.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

Tomato (1kg)

$7.64 BZD 15.29

$2.03 MX$37.97

276.35%

Potato (1kg)

$6.70 BZD 13.40

$2.02 MX$37.88

231.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 BZD 7.51

$1.90 MX$35.60

97.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 BZD 2.44

$1.14 MX$21.41

7.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 BZD 3.83

$1.24 MX$23.17

54.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

Wine (Bottle)

$23.56 BZD 47.13

$9.81 MX$184

140.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.69 BZD 7.39

$1.59 MX$29.66

132.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 BZD 7.80

$2.75 MX$51.3

41.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.94 BZD 9.89

$3.25 MX$60.8

52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 BZD 3.28

$1.53 MX$28.58

7.19%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

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

$174 BZD 349

$83.5 MX$1,562

108.74%

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

$23.19 MX$434

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.53 BZD 59.1

$56.4 MX$1,056

-47.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

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

$207 MX$3,873

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 BZD 2,008

$995 MX$18.6K

0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 BZD 1,485

$382 MX$7,152

94.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,811 BZD 5,623

$1,674 MX$31.3K

67.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 BZD 4,015

$1,081 MX$20.2K

85.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,688 BZD 5,377

$3,909 MX$73.1K

-31.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,588 BZD 3,176

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-74.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for San Pedro: 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.

Accommodation & Living

San Pedro

–

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

–

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Eating Out

San Pedro

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

–

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

–

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

–

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Getting Around

San Pedro

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,004 in San Pedro versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in San Pedro versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $486 in San Pedro vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇿 San Pedro

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

1 h ahead of San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,456

149,923

💱 Currency

Belize Dollar BZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.447 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BZD – Belize Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇿 Belize Dollar ($)

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BZD (1 BZD = 0.447 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to BZD in detail →

On the map

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San Pedro Playa del Carmen 320 km

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

Yes – San Pedro is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,404 per month in San Pedro and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,004 in San Pedro and $995 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 89% more in San Pedro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in San Pedro and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in San Pedro at $1,602. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Pedro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,602 in San Pedro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.