Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Clara and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Clara: $959 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clara
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Santa Clara Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Santa Clara

🇨🇺 Cuba

$959

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Clara and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Clara and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $959 per month in Santa Clara vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Clara $959
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,439 per month in Santa Clara vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Clara $1,439
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,920 per month in Santa Clara vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Clara $1,920
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Santa Clara is about 20% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Clara and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Santa Clara 30% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 CUP 88.5

$10.92 MX$205

-66.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.05 CUP 649

$43.37 MX$814

-37.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 CUP 121

$11.78 MX$221

-57.30%

Cappuccino

$1.04 CUP 24.97

$3.81 MX$71.5

-72.70%

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

$1.58 CUP 37.94

$1.28 MX$24.07

23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 CUP 22.19

$0.78 MX$14.70

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 CUP 29.18

$3.17 MX$59.5

-61.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CUP 49.02

$4.93 MX$92.7

-58.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.76 CUP 66.3

$1.41 MX$26.40

95.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 CUP 34.90

$2.22 MX$41.62

-34.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 CUP 41.36

$1.42 MX$26.61

21.13%

Eggs

$3.43 CUP 82.3

$2.52 MX$47.36

36.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.52 CUP 109

$7.26 MX$136

-37.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 CUP 114

$7.70 MX$144

-38.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.31 CUP 199

$12.69 MX$238

-34.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.97 CUP 143

$2.78 MX$52.3

114.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 CUP 25.49

$1.37 MX$25.68

-22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 CUP 97.1

$2.55 MX$47.89

58.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.35 CUP 56.3

$2.12 MX$39.86

10.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CUP 70.3

$1.94 MX$36.39

51.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 CUP 65.5

$1.89 MX$35.41

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 CUP 17.96

$1.15 MX$21.53

-34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 CUP 13.77

$1.18 MX$22.13

-51.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 CUP 39.21

$4.30 MX$80.6

-62.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.19 CUP 125

$9.95 MX$187

-47.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CUP 41.22

$1.58 MX$29.73

8.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 CUP 49.79

$2.67 MX$50.1

-22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 CUP 62.8

$4.97 MX$93.3

-47.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 CUP 8.16

$3.33 MX$62.5

-89.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.30 CUP 487

$5.36 MX$101

278.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CUP 30.41

$1.44 MX$27.11

-11.81%

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

$60.8K CUP 1.5M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

194.38%

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

$59.0K CUP 1.4M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

151.47%

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

$48.16 CUP 1,156

$84.8 MX$1,592

-43.20%

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

$38.98 CUP 935

$23.41 MX$439

66.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.7 CUP 2,130

$28.66 MX$538

209.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$0.81 CUP 19.44

$5.14 MX$96.5

-84.24%

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

$155 CUP 3,713

$207 MX$3,878

-25.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K CUP 302.4K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

220.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CUP 1,217

$43.35 MX$814

16.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 CUP 996

$41.44 MX$778

0.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 CUP 1,911

$74.2 MX$1,393

7.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 CUP 1,616

$89.3 MX$1,676

-24.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 CUP 8,241

$980 MX$18.4K

-64.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 CUP 8,536

$381 MX$7,150

-6.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$758 CUP 18.2K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-55.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 CUP 14.5K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-43.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$279 CUP 6,702

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-92.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$291 CUP 6,994

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-95.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

11.45

-20.52%

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

Last update for Santa Clara: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Santa Clara

$356 37.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 7.1% $25

Groceries & Markets

Santa Clara

$236 24.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 7.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Clara

$176 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 22.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Clara

$108 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.8% $4.1

Eating Out

Santa Clara

$77 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 162% $125

Getting Around

Santa Clara

$4.3 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1071% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Clara

$1.6 * 0.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 4056% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Santa Clara versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Santa Clara versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $255 – making Santa Clara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Santa Clara

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

Same time as Santa Clara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

216,056

149,923

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.8 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Clara Playa del Carmen 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Clara
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santa Clara vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,438 per month in Santa Clara and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Clara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $959 in Santa Clara and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Santa Clara about 20% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $155 per month in Santa Clara and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $959 in Santa Clara and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Clara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.