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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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Santa Barbara is 12.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 20% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Santa Barbara is 55.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 3.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.82 โ‚ก5,364
$11.88 MX$210
-8.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.5 โ‚ก29.5K
$41.90 MX$740
42.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.13 โ‚ก5,025
$10.55 MX$186
-3.98%
Cappuccino
$3.89 โ‚ก1,929
$3.60 MX$63.5
8.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 โ‚ก989
$1.50 MX$26.45
33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 โ‚ก788
$0.91 MX$16.09
74.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.95 โ‚ก1,461
$3.08 MX$54.4
-4.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.65 โ‚ก2,306
$4.47 MX$78.8
4.03%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 โ‚ก1,022
$1.39 MX$24.54
48.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.76 โ‚ก1,368
$1.90 MX$33.47
45.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 โ‚ก1,111
$1.60 MX$28.27
40.00%
Eggs
$2.92 โ‚ก1,449
$2.60 MX$45.97
12.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.96 โ‚ก4,443
$8.36 MX$148
7.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.29 โ‚ก4,608
$8.64 MX$152
7.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.74 โ‚ก6,814
$10.91 MX$192
25.94%
Apples (1kg)
$4.53 โ‚ก2,248
$2.61 MX$45.98
73.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 โ‚ก622
$1.44 MX$25.46
-12.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.35 โ‚ก1,165
$1.96 MX$34.55
19.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.44 โ‚ก1,707
$2.12 MX$37.34
62.26%
Potato (1kg)
$2.95 โ‚ก1,464
$1.86 MX$32.87
58.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.90 โ‚ก1,436
$2.22 MX$39.20
30.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.73 โ‚ก362
$1.02 MX$17.99
-28.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 โ‚ก1,393
$1.04 MX$18.36
170.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.34 โ‚ก2,648
$4.05 MX$71.5
31.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.28 โ‚ก6,088
$10.18 MX$180
20.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 โ‚ก1,198
$1.69 MX$29.79
43.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 โ‚ก1,445
$2.62 MX$46.25
11.07%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 โ‚ก474
$0.51 MX$9.09
88.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.52 MX$468
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.79 โ‚ก885
$3.15 MX$55.7
-43.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.97 โ‚ก479
$2.46 MX$43.49
-60.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.78 โ‚ก3,855
$3.26 MX$57.5
138.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 โ‚ก700
$1.32 MX$23.36
6.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K โ‚ก18.6M
$30.1K MX$531.0K
24.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.0K โ‚ก15.9M
$23.8K MX$419.3K
34.68%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.6 โ‚ก34.0K
$83.5 MX$1,474
-17.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.60 โ‚ก12.7K
$22.86 MX$404
11.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.2 โ‚ก29.3K
$30.04 MX$530
96.94%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 โ‚ก28.3K
$51.9 MX$916
9.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.89 โ‚ก11.8K
$18.30 MX$323
30.55%
Cinema Ticket
$8.89 โ‚ก4,408
$5.12 MX$90.4
73.63%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 โ‚ก281.4K
$201 MX$3,541
182.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K โ‚ก6.4M
$5,318 MX$93.9K
141.14%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.8 โ‚ก30.6K
$35.73 MX$631
72.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.3 โ‚ก25.9K
$40.27 MX$711
29.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 โ‚ก63.3K
$79.2 MX$1,398
61.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 โ‚ก53.7K
$89.3 MX$1,576
21.29%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$776 โ‚ก384.5K
$947 MX$16.7K
-18.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$587 โ‚ก290.9K
$483 MX$8,525
21.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,502 โ‚ก744.8K
$1,599 MX$28.2K
-6.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$957 โ‚ก474.3K
$1,211 MX$21.4K
-21.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,681 โ‚ก833.2K
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-57.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,670 โ‚ก827.9K
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-73.92%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Santa Barbara
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$730 MX$12.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9
11.42
-21.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Barbara: January 12, 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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