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 25.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Santa Ana is 9.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 43.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.46 $2.46
$11.61 MX$200
-78.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.09 $18.09
$42.75 MX$738
-57.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.97 $4.97
$10.60 MX$183
-53.11%
Cappuccino
$2.03 $2.03
$3.59 MX$62.0
-43.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 $0.68
$1.45 MX$25.08
-53.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 $0.57
$0.90 MX$15.50
-36.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.04 $2.04
$3.03 MX$52.4
-32.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 $2.66
$4.56 MX$78.8
-41.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 $1.82
$1.45 MX$25.07
25.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.99 $1.99
$1.83 MX$31.55
8.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 $1.50
$1.61 MX$27.77
-6.83%
Eggs
$2.80 $2.80
$2.54 MX$43.82
10.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.82 $6.82
$8.54 MX$148
-20.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.79 $6.79
$8.47 MX$146
-19.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.72 $10.72
$10.86 MX$188
-1.29%
Apples (1kg)
$3.13 $3.13
$2.73 MX$47.13
14.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 $1.70
$1.49 MX$25.77
14.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.60 $2.60
$1.94 MX$33.55
34.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.70 $2.70
$2.16 MX$37.38
25.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.85 MX$31.88
16.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 $2.20
$2.19 MX$37.80
0.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.07 MX$18.52
-5.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.08 MX$18.71
-5.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.01 $4.01
$4.06 MX$70.1
-1.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.12 $11.12
$10.46 MX$181
6.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.65 MX$28.56
3.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 $2.53
$2.55 MX$44.01
-0.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 $0.31
$0.56 MX$9.60
-44.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.20 MX$453
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.65 $5.65
$3.14 MX$54.2
79.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.09 $3.09
$2.37 MX$40.96
30.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.63 $19.63
$3.24 MX$56.0
505.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.92 $0.92
$1.31 MX$22.70
-29.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.1K $23.1K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-24.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.6K $28.6K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
19.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.45 $39.45
$83.1 MX$1,436
-52.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.83 $18.83
$22.15 MX$383
-14.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.64 $38.64
$29.37 MX$507
31.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.55 $35.55
$51.2 MX$884
-30.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.69 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 $4.98
$4.89 MX$84.4
1.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$146 $146
$199 MX$3,431
-26.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,846 $5,846
$5,207 MX$89.9K
12.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.2 $66.2
$35.93 MX$621
84.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.13 $44.13
$39.39 MX$680
12.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 $115
$80.3 MX$1,387
43.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 $107
$87.6 MX$1,512
22.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$302 $302
$963 MX$16.6K
-68.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$152 $152
$482 MX$8,326
-68.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 $500
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-69.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$294 $294
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-75.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Ana
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$449 $449
$726 MX$12.5K
-38.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.58
11.42
-24.87%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: April 14, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

Santa Ana vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities