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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara is 28.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 23.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara is 21.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.77 β‚‘5,091
$11.85 MX$210
-9.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.0 β‚‘27.9K
$42.16 MX$746
39.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.79 β‚‘4,630
$10.75 MX$190
-8.93%
Cappuccino
$3.79 β‚‘1,794
$3.47 MX$61.5
9.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 β‚‘982
$1.45 MX$25.72
43.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 β‚‘782
$0.90 MX$15.98
83.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.04 β‚‘1,440
$3.05 MX$54.1
-0.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.59 β‚‘2,169
$4.42 MX$78.2
3.85%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.98 β‚‘936
$1.37 MX$24.24
44.53%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 β‚‘1,349
$1.87 MX$33.14
52.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.23 β‚‘1,054
$1.54 MX$27.32
44.81%
Eggs
$3.01 β‚‘1,423
$2.50 MX$44.31
20.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.78 β‚‘4,149
$8.61 MX$152
1.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.24 β‚‘4,368
$8.63 MX$153
7.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.88 β‚‘6,562
$11.02 MX$195
25.95%
Apples (1kg)
$4.41 β‚‘2,083
$2.75 MX$48.67
60.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 β‚‘605
$1.43 MX$25.28
-10.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.42 β‚‘1,144
$1.87 MX$33.15
29.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.46 β‚‘1,637
$2.17 MX$38.37
59.45%
Potato (1kg)
$2.94 β‚‘1,392
$1.88 MX$33.33
56.38%
Onion (1kg)
$3.01 β‚‘1,424
$2.25 MX$39.76
33.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 β‚‘325
$1.07 MX$18.90
-35.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.97 β‚‘1,402
$1.07 MX$19.00
177.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.34 β‚‘2,526
$4.15 MX$73.5
28.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.60 β‚‘5,958
$10.34 MX$183
21.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 β‚‘1,193
$1.68 MX$29.72
50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 β‚‘1,345
$2.48 MX$43.97
14.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.00 β‚‘475
$0.55 MX$9.82
81.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$470
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 β‚‘871
$3.22 MX$56.9
-42.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.95 β‚‘448
$2.48 MX$43.93
-61.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.72 β‚‘3,650
$3.11 MX$55.0
148.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 β‚‘693
$1.26 MX$22.22
16.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K β‚‘18.0M
$30.7K MX$542.7K
24.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.7K β‚‘15.4M
$24.0K MX$425.5K
35.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$67.0 β‚‘31.7K
$82.5 MX$1,460
-18.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.57 β‚‘12.1K
$22.29 MX$394
14.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.2 β‚‘28.4K
$30.02 MX$531
100.43%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.7 β‚‘27.3K
$51.4 MX$911
12.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.75 β‚‘11.2K
$18.29 MX$324
29.85%
Cinema Ticket
$8.93 β‚‘4,223
$4.98 MX$88.2
79.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$566 β‚‘267.7K
$200 MX$3,540
183.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K β‚‘6.1M
$5,304 MX$93.9K
142.62%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.3 β‚‘29.9K
$35.71 MX$632
77.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.2 β‚‘24.2K
$39.56 MX$700
29.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 β‚‘59.9K
$80.6 MX$1,426
57.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 β‚‘51.0K
$88.3 MX$1,563
22.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$752 β‚‘355.4K
$969 MX$17.2K
-22.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$589 β‚‘278.6K
$482 MX$8,535
22.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,536 β‚‘726.1K
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-3.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$955 β‚‘451.5K
$1,184 MX$21.0K
-19.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,796 β‚‘849.3K
$4,050 MX$71.7K
-55.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,795 β‚‘848.4K
$6,522 MX$115.4K
-72.48%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$756 MX$13.4K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9
11.42
-21.19%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara: February 28, 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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