Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,818 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent and utilities included – about $31,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clarita, CA
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Santa Clarita, CA Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Santa Clarita, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,818

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Clarita, CA 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 Clarita, CA and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,818 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $3,818
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $5,123 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $5,123
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $6,428
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Santa Clarita, CA costs about 217% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Clarita, CA sits 182% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.11 $20.11

$10.67 MX$200

88.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$43.80 MX$823

127.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.10 $15.10

$11.79 MX$221

28.07%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$3.79 MX$71.1

61.21%

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

$3.57 $3.57

$1.30 MX$24.36

174.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.83 MX$15.65

266.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$3.15 MX$59.1

159.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.06 $9.06

$4.93 MX$92.7

83.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.41 MX$26.46

-19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.20 MX$41.23

80.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$1.47 MX$27.66

241.50%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$2.50 MX$46.89

91.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$7.29 MX$137

163.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 $7.98

$7.95 MX$149

0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$12.86 MX$242

32.89%

Apples (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$2.90 MX$54.4

126.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.38 MX$25.98

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.49 MX$46.78

24.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.03 MX$38.12

45.32%

Potato (1kg)

$8.38 $8.38

$2.02 MX$38.03

314.85%

Onion (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.90 MX$35.74

150.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.14 MX$21.49

202.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.24 MX$23.27

116.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$4.27 MX$80.2

170.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.20 $16.20

$9.81 MX$184

65.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.59 MX$29.78

11.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.75 MX$51.6

59.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.51 MX$9.67

384.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.33 $27.33

$27.39 MX$514

-0.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 $2.88

$4.76 MX$89.4

-39.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 $2.44

$3.25 MX$61.0

-24.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 $58.9

$5.39 MX$101

992.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.53 MX$28.70

-17.65%

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

$23.6K $23.6K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

11.26%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

11.96%

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

$221 $221

$83.5 MX$1,568

164.63%

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

$56.2 $56.2

$23.19 MX$435

142.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$27.61 MX$519

157.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.80 $36.80

$56.4 MX$1,060

-34.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.47 $25.47

$28.19 MX$529

-9.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.07 $14.07

$5.00 MX$93.9

181.40%

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

$993 $993

$207 MX$3,889

379.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.0K $40.0K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

665.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 $73.6

$43.45 MX$816

69.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.03 $27.03

$42.54 MX$799

-36.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 $72.9

$72.8 MX$1,367

0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$88.4 MX$1,660

24.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,777 $2,777

$995 MX$18.7K

179.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,418 $2,418

$382 MX$7,181

532.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,905 $3,905

$1,674 MX$31.4K

133.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,241 $3,241

$1,081 MX$20.3K

199.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,725 $3,725

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-4.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,283 $4,283

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-30.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,306 $5,306

$832 MX$15.6K

537.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.45

-43.32%

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

Last update for Santa Clarita, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Clarita, CA

$2.4K 63.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 84.2% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Clarita, CA

$441 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 41.7% $184

Eating Out

Santa Clarita, CA

$365 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 45.1% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Clarita, CA

$348 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 61.4% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Clarita, CA

$128 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 12.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Clarita, CA

$65 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 2.3% $1.5

Getting Around

Santa Clarita, CA

$52 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 3.5% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,777 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $995 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.

Salaries in Santa Clarita, CA are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $441 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Clarita, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

3 h ahead of Santa Clarita, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

182,371

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Clarita, CA Playa del Carmen 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Clarita, CA
Playa del Carmen

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santa Clarita, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Clarita, CA is pricier by about 217%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,726 per month in Santa Clarita, CA and $1,804 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $2,777 in Santa Clarita, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,818 in Santa Clarita, CA and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 69% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $993 per month in Santa Clarita, CA and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Santa Clarita, CA at $3,818. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Clarita, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Clarita, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.