Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, CA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, CA and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Ana, CA is 37.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 153.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Ana, CA is 61.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 105.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Ana, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.27 $18.27
$11.85 MX$209
54.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.8 $84.8
$42.16 MX$744
101.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.10 $15.10
$10.75 MX$190
40.47%
Cappuccino
$5.09 $5.09
$3.47 MX$61.3
46.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 $2.74
$1.45 MX$25.65
88.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 $2.01
$0.90 MX$15.93
123.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.97 $6.97
$3.05 MX$53.9
128.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.04 $7.04
$4.42 MX$77.9
59.28%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Ana, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.37 MX$24.17
-18.25%
White Bread (500g)
$4.04 $4.04
$1.87 MX$33.05
116.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.81 $4.81
$1.54 MX$27.25
212.34%
Eggs
$7.21 $7.21
$2.50 MX$44.18
188.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.08 $12.08
$8.61 MX$152
40.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.38 $16.38
$8.63 MX$152
89.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.58 $14.58
$11.02 MX$195
32.30%
Apples (1kg)
$4.32 $4.32
$2.75 MX$48.53
57.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 $1.67
$1.43 MX$25.21
16.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.17 $4.17
$1.87 MX$33.05
122.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.54 $5.54
$2.17 MX$38.26
155.30%
Potato (1kg)
$3.23 $3.23
$1.88 MX$33.23
71.81%
Onion (1kg)
$2.94 $2.94
$2.25 MX$39.65
30.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.04 $2.04
$1.07 MX$18.85
90.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.09 $2.09
$1.07 MX$18.95
95.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.95 $10.95
$4.15 MX$73.3
163.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.27 $15.27
$10.34 MX$182
47.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 $1.99
$1.68 MX$29.64
18.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 $3.54
$2.48 MX$43.84
42.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Ana, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 $2.03
$0.55 MX$9.80
269.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$68.4 $68.4
$26.53 MX$468
157.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.76 $6.76
$3.22 MX$56.8
109.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.77 $2.77
$2.48 MX$43.80
11.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.62 $28.62
$3.11 MX$54.9
820.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 $1.28
$1.26 MX$22.16
1.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.2K $24.2K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-21.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K $23.7K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
-1.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Ana, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 $158
$82.5 MX$1,456
90.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$46.54 $46.54
$22.29 MX$393
108.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.4 $57.4
$30.02 MX$530
91.11%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Ana, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.68 $24.68
$51.4 MX$908
-52.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.18 $10.18
$18.29 MX$323
-44.34%
Cinema Ticket
$14.21 $14.21
$4.98 MX$88.0
185.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Ana, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,229 $1,229
$200 MX$3,530
514.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K $23.3K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
340.12%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Ana, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.03 $48.03
$35.71 MX$630
34.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.26 $34.26
$39.56 MX$698
-13.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.6 $85.6
$80.6 MX$1,422
6.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.9 $83.9
$88.3 MX$1,559
-5.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Ana, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,237 $2,237
$969 MX$17.1K
130.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,924 $1,924
$482 MX$8,511
298.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,943 $2,943
$1,595 MX$28.2K
84.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,194 $3,194
$1,184 MX$20.9K
169.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,268 $4,268
$4,050 MX$71.5K
5.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,259 $4,259
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-34.69%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Santa Ana, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,050 $3,050
$756 MX$13.4K
303.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.58
11.42
-42.38%

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

Last update for Santa Ana, CA: March 3, 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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