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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: San Rafael, CA is 115.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 245.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: San Rafael, CA is 77.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 123.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
San Rafael, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.54 $22.54
$11.85 MX$212
90.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.9 $65.9
$42.16 MX$755
56.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.08 $11.08
$10.75 MX$192
3.07%
Cappuccino
$5.65 $5.65
$3.47 MX$62.2
62.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 $2.71
$1.45 MX$26.01
86.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 $2.53
$0.90 MX$16.16
181.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.04 $6.04
$3.05 MX$54.7
98.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.38 $9.38
$4.42 MX$79.1
112.22%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
San Rafael, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 $1.22
$1.37 MX$24.51
-10.95%
White Bread (500g)
$4.07 $4.07
$1.87 MX$33.51
117.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.62 $6.62
$1.54 MX$27.63
329.87%
Eggs
$4.63 $4.63
$2.50 MX$44.81
85.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.59 $15.59
$8.61 MX$154
81.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.13 $13.13
$8.63 MX$155
52.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.65 $18.65
$11.02 MX$197
69.24%
Apples (1kg)
$4.98 $4.98
$2.75 MX$49.22
81.09%
Banana (1kg)
$2.86 $2.86
$1.43 MX$25.56
100.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.16 $6.16
$1.87 MX$33.52
229.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$8.50 $8.50
$2.17 MX$38.80
291.71%
Potato (1kg)
$3.75 $3.75
$1.88 MX$33.70
99.47%
Onion (1kg)
$3.90 $3.90
$2.25 MX$40.21
73.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.47 $2.47
$1.07 MX$19.11
130.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.87 $2.87
$1.07 MX$19.22
168.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.04 $11.04
$4.15 MX$74.4
166.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.95 $12.95
$10.34 MX$185
25.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.11 $2.11
$1.68 MX$30.06
25.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 $3.49
$2.48 MX$44.46
40.73%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
San Rafael, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.51 $1.51
$0.55 MX$9.93
174.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.03 $30.03
$26.53 MX$475
13.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.57 $3.57
$3.22 MX$57.6
10.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 $1.64
$2.48 MX$44.42
-33.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.04 $29.04
$3.11 MX$55.7
833.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 $1.25
$1.26 MX$22.48
-0.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.0K $27.0K
$30.7K MX$548.8K
-12.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.0K $27.0K
$24.0K MX$430.3K
12.44%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Rafael, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$189 $189
$82.5 MX$1,476
129.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.4 $51.4
$22.29 MX$399
130.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.9 $59.9
$30.02 MX$537
99.40%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
San Rafael, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$247 $247
$51.4 MX$921
380.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.28 $39.28
$18.29 MX$327
114.76%
Cinema Ticket
$14.77 $14.77
$4.98 MX$89.2
196.59%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
San Rafael, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,970 $1,970
$200 MX$3,580
884.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K $23.1K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
335.83%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
San Rafael, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.88 $40.88
$35.71 MX$639
14.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.41 $38.41
$39.56 MX$708
-2.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 $101
$80.6 MX$1,442
25.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 $124
$88.3 MX$1,581
40.61%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
San Rafael, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,388 $3,388
$969 MX$17.4K
249.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,856 $2,856
$482 MX$8,632
492.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,020 $4,020
$1,595 MX$28.6K
152.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,386 $3,386
$1,184 MX$21.2K
186.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,635 $7,635
$4,050 MX$72.5K
88.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,276 $5,276
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-19.11%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
San Rafael, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,326 $5,326
$756 MX$13.5K
604.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.32
11.42
-44.66%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Rafael, 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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