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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara, CA is 54% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 200.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 110.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 146.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.27 $25.27

$11.88 MX$210

112.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100.0 $100.0

$41.90 MX$740

138.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$10.55 MX$186

-6.82%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$3.60 MX$63.5

54.44%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$1.50 MX$26.45

77.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.91 MX$16.09

126.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.08 MX$54.4

165.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.80 $8.80

$4.47 MX$78.8

96.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.39 MX$24.54

-7.91%

White Bread (500g)

$5.00 $5.00

$1.90 MX$33.47

163.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.60 MX$28.27

198.75%

Eggs

$5.48 $5.48

$2.60 MX$45.97

110.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$8.36 MX$148

46.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$8.64 MX$152

33.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$10.91 MX$192

34.10%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$2.61 MX$45.98

137.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.44 MX$25.46

28.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.96 MX$34.55

92.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$2.12 MX$37.34

151.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.86 MX$32.87

77.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.22 MX$39.20

32.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.02 MX$17.99

108.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.04 MX$18.36

101.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.92 $12.92

$4.05 MX$71.5

219.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.17 $17.17

$10.18 MX$180

68.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.69 MX$29.79

3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.62 MX$46.25

48.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.51 MX$9.09

233.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.3 $64.3

$26.52 MX$468

142.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.15 MX$55.7

94.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.46 MX$43.49

-15.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.2 $51.2

$3.26 MX$57.5

1469.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.32 MX$23.36

-6.82%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$30.1K MX$531.0K

-5.45%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.8K MX$419.3K

8.89%

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

$199 $199

$83.5 MX$1,474

137.97%

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

$55.1 $55.1

$22.86 MX$404

140.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$30.04 MX$530

137.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 $66.9

$51.9 MX$916

28.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.01 $18.01

$18.30 MX$323

-1.58%

Cinema Ticket

$12.53 $12.53

$5.12 MX$90.4

144.73%

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

$1,430 $1,430

$201 MX$3,541

612.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K $36.5K

$5,318 MX$93.9K

586.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 $68.8

$35.73 MX$631

92.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 $40.27

$40.27 MX$711

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 $76.9

$79.2 MX$1,398

-2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$89.3 MX$1,576

61.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,683 $2,683

$947 MX$16.7K

183.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$483 MX$8,525

363.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,110 $5,110

$1,599 MX$28.2K

219.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,322 $4,322

$1,211 MX$21.4K

256.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,965 $9,965

$3,996 MX$70.5K

149.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$6,402 MX$113.0K

59.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,148 $5,148

$730 MX$12.9K

605.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

11.42

-41.51%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara, CA: January 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 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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