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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Ana is 9.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 28.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Ana is 22.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 19.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.70 ₡4,588
$11.85 MX$211
-18.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.8 ₡28.8K
$42.16 MX$750
44.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.43 ₡4,463
$10.75 MX$191
-12.28%
Cappuccino
$3.76 ₡1,779
$3.47 MX$61.8
8.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 ₡914
$1.45 MX$25.85
33.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 ₡749
$0.90 MX$16.06
75.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.93 ₡1,387
$3.05 MX$54.3
-3.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.60 ₡2,176
$4.42 MX$78.6
4.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.03 ₡961
$1.37 MX$24.36
48.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.86 ₡1,355
$1.87 MX$33.31
52.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 ₡1,051
$1.54 MX$27.46
44.16%
Eggs
$2.93 ₡1,388
$2.50 MX$44.53
17.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.84 ₡4,655
$8.61 MX$153
14.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.07 ₡4,291
$8.63 MX$154
5.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.65 ₡6,461
$11.02 MX$196
23.87%
Apples (1kg)
$4.61 ₡2,182
$2.75 MX$48.91
67.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 ₡682
$1.43 MX$25.41
0.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 ₡773
$1.87 MX$33.32
-12.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.37 ₡1,597
$2.17 MX$38.56
55.30%
Potato (1kg)
$2.85 ₡1,349
$1.88 MX$33.50
51.60%
Onion (1kg)
$3.22 ₡1,524
$2.25 MX$39.96
43.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.98 ₡461
$1.07 MX$18.99
-8.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.18 ₡1,030
$1.07 MX$19.10
103.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.33 ₡2,523
$4.15 MX$73.9
28.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.81 ₡6,536
$10.34 MX$184
33.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₡1,154
$1.68 MX$29.87
45.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 ₡1,236
$2.48 MX$44.19
5.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.97 ₡457
$0.55 MX$9.87
76.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.93 ₡9,430
$26.53 MX$472
-24.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.88 ₡890
$3.22 MX$57.2
-41.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.79 ₡848
$2.48 MX$44.15
-27.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 ₡1,890
$3.11 MX$55.3
28.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 ₡682
$1.26 MX$22.34
14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K ₡14.4M
$30.7K MX$545.4K
-0.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K ₡15.6M
$24.0K MX$427.6K
37.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.3 ₡38.0K
$82.5 MX$1,467
-2.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.98 ₡12.3K
$22.29 MX$396
16.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.14 ₡21.8K
$30.02 MX$534
53.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.9 ₡26.9K
$51.4 MX$915
10.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.96 ₡11.3K
$18.29 MX$325
31.00%
Cinema Ticket
$10.05 ₡4,753
$4.98 MX$88.7
101.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ₡264.0K
$200 MX$3,558
178.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K ₡6.1M
$5,304 MX$94.4K
142.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ₡29.5K
$35.71 MX$635
74.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.8 ₡24.5K
$39.56 MX$704
30.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 ₡59.0K
$80.6 MX$1,433
54.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 ₡51.2K
$88.3 MX$1,571
22.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$897 ₡424.5K
$969 MX$17.2K
-7.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$634 ₡299.9K
$482 MX$8,579
31.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,497 ₡708.3K
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-6.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,422 ₡672.8K
$1,184 MX$21.1K
20.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,490 ₡705.1K
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-77.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,486 ₡702.9K
$756 MX$13.5K
96.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10
11.42
-12.43%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: 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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