Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro de Macoris and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro de Macoris: $619 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Macoris
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San Pedro de Macoris Living Index
59

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

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San Pedro de Macoris

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$619

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $619 per month in San Pedro de Macoris vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pedro de Macoris $619
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,000 per month in San Pedro de Macoris vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pedro de Macoris $1,000
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,381 per month in San Pedro de Macoris vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pedro de Macoris $1,381
Playa del Carmen $3,016

San Pedro de Macoris is about 49% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Pedro de Macoris and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – San Pedro de Macoris 54% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.72 DOP 350

$10.76 MX$199

-46.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.44 DOP 2,539

$43.03 MX$795

-3.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 DOP 416

$11.79 MX$218

-42.32%

Cappuccino

$1.75 DOP 107

$3.87 MX$71.4

-54.78%

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

$0.72 DOP 44.35

$1.37 MX$25.29

-47.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 DOP 22.82

$0.84 MX$15.44

-55.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 DOP 152

$3.10 MX$57.3

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 DOP 241

$5.07 MX$93.6

-22.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 DOP 70.4

$1.44 MX$26.55

-20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 DOP 110

$2.23 MX$41.23

-19.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 DOP 91.2

$1.47 MX$27.17

1.36%

Eggs

$1.49 DOP 91.3

$2.53 MX$46.71

-41.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.15 DOP 377

$7.30 MX$135

-15.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 DOP 212

$7.86 MX$145

-55.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.83 DOP 296

$12.79 MX$236

-62.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 DOP 222

$2.90 MX$53.6

24.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 DOP 85.1

$1.44 MX$26.53

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 DOP 199

$2.55 MX$47.07

27.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 DOP 132

$2.06 MX$38.03

4.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 DOP 211

$2.00 MX$36.97

72.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 DOP 173

$2.01 MX$37.07

40.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 DOP 57.7

$1.19 MX$22.02

-21.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 DOP 102

$1.26 MX$23.23

31.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.67 DOP 286

$4.40 MX$81.4

6.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.37 DOP 1,003

$9.59 MX$177

70.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 DOP 174

$1.59 MX$29.41

79.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 DOP 200

$2.81 MX$51.9

16.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 DOP 155

$4.98 MX$92.1

-49.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.31 DOP 203

$3.50 MX$64.6

-5.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 DOP 75.6

$1.47 MX$27.08

-16.33%

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

$14.6K DOP 896.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-30.25%

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

$25.7K DOP 1.6M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

7.58%

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

$95.2 DOP 5,833

$84.2 MX$1,556

13.07%

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

$26.76 DOP 1,640

$23.99 MX$443

11.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.33 DOP 1,858

$29.02 MX$536

4.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 DOP 309

$4.94 MX$91.3

2.23%

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

$150 DOP 9,199

$204 MX$3,763

-26.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,470 DOP 335.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

38.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.74 DOP 1,638

$43.60 MX$806

-38.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 DOP 2,803

$43.12 MX$797

6.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 DOP 3,831

$75.8 MX$1,400

-17.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.7 DOP 4,084

$88.6 MX$1,637

-24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 DOP 25.0K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-76.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-3.93%

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

Last update for San Pedro de Macoris: 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.

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro de Macoris

$235 38%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 10% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro de Macoris

$152 24.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 9.9% $15

Eating Out

San Pedro de Macoris

$112 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 80.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro de Macoris

$91 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 24.5% $22

Getting Around

San Pedro de Macoris

$19 * 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 176% $33

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro de Macoris

$10 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 622% $63

Accommodation & Living

San Pedro de Macoris

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

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 $41.00 in San Pedro de Macoris versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $258 – making San Pedro de Macoris the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 San Pedro de Macoris

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

13:32 1:32 PM

1 h behind San Pedro de Macoris

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,141

149,923

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Pedro de Macoris Playa del Carmen 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $928 per month in San Pedro de Macoris and $1,816 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 $619 in San Pedro de Macoris and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 96%.

Kindergarten costs $150 per month in San Pedro de Macoris 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 Pedro de Macoris, where all-in costs run around $619, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In San Pedro de Macoris 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 Pedro de Macoris – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Pedro de Macoris. 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.