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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 31% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 21.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara is 17.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 3.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.9 ₡5,325
$11.58 MX$212
-5.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.9 ₡28.8K
$42 MX$769
40.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.2 ₡4,983
$10.5 MX$192
-2.86%
Cappuccino
$3.87 ₡1,892
$3.43 MX$62.8
12.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ₡1,003
$1.49 MX$27.34
37.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.6 ₡783
$0.94 MX$17.27
70.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.04 ₡1,483
$3.08 MX$56.3
-1.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ₡2,254
$4.37 MX$79.9
5.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ₡1,007
$1.39 MX$25.44
48.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.75 ₡1,342
$1.85 MX$33.81
48.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 ₡1,084
$1.58 MX$28.88
40.51%
Eggs
$2.94 ₡1,439
$2.51 MX$46
17.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.84 ₡4,317
$8.26 MX$151
7.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.95 ₡4,375
$8.7 MX$159
2.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.64 ₡6,662
$10.73 MX$196
27.12%
Apples (1kg)
$4.52 ₡2,209
$2.61 MX$47.74
73.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 ₡647
$1.49 MX$27.28
-11.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 ₡1,144
$1.95 MX$35.72
20.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.55 ₡1,734
$2.09 MX$38.26
69.86%
Potato (1kg)
$2.94 ₡1,438
$1.81 MX$33.05
62.43%
Onion (1kg)
$2.89 ₡1,413
$2.16 MX$39.62
33.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 ₡329
$1.03 MX$18.85
-34.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.84 ₡1,387
$1.08 MX$19.7
162.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.25 ₡2,567
$4.14 MX$75.9
26.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.06 ₡5,890
$8.88 MX$163
35.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.53 ₡1,237
$1.67 MX$30.64
51.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ₡1,387
$2.53 MX$46.31
12.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.02 ₡500
$0.51 MX$9.27
100.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.68 MX$488
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.8 ₡881
$3.26 MX$59.7
-44.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 ₡476
$2.51 MX$45.94
-60.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.71 ₡3,769
$3.12 MX$57.2
147.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ₡692
$1.31 MX$23.96
8.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.5K ₡18.8M
$30.9K MX$565K
24.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.5K ₡15.9M
$23.9K MX$436.9K
36.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$67.3 ₡32.9K
$83 MX$1,520
-18.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.99 ₡12.7K
$22.59 MX$414
15.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.4 ₡29.5K
$29.51 MX$540
104.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 ₡28K
$51.6 MX$944
11.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.14 ₡11.8K
$18.42 MX$337
31.05%
Cinema Ticket
$9.07 ₡4,432
$4.9 MX$89.7
85.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ₡272.4K
$200 MX$3,668
178.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K ₡6.2M
$5,179 MX$94.8K
144.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.5 ₡31K
$36.41 MX$667
74.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 ₡25.6K
$39.91 MX$731
31.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 ₡62.4K
$79.9 MX$1,462
59.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 ₡52.7K
$87.7 MX$1,605
22.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$772 ₡377.4K
$983 MX$18K
-21.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$594 ₡290.1K
$470 MX$8,612
26.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,496 ₡730.8K
$1,610 MX$29.5K
-7.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$953 ₡465.7K
$1,189 MX$21.8K
-19.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,698 ₡829.7K
$3,839 MX$70.3K
-55.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,702 ₡831.7K
$6,205 MX$113.6K
-72.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$724 MX$13.2K
-
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: December 1, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 30, 2025

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