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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz is 43.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 50.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz is 41.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 26% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
-
$11.99 MX$227
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
-
$42.47 MX$803
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
-
$10.47 MX$198
-
Cappuccino
-
$3.6 MX$68.2
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.44 MX$27.16
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.89 MX$16.79
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.09 MX$58.5
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.58 MX$86.6
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.15 AWG 3.86
$1.38 MX$26.04
55.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 AWG 4.91
$1.85 MX$34.9
48.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.34 AWG 7.76
$1.57 MX$29.68
176.43%
Eggs
$4.72 AWG 8.44
$2.55 MX$48.3
85.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.98 AWG 14.28
$8.61 MX$163
-7.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.29 AWG 13.06
$8.54 MX$161
-14.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.52 AWG 11.67
$10.98 MX$208
-40.62%
Apples (1kg)
$4.36 AWG 7.8
$2.72 MX$51.4
60.29%
Banana (1kg)
$4.32 AWG 7.73
$1.51 MX$28.57
186.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$8.53 AWG 15.27
$1.88 MX$35.63
353.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.66 AWG 11.92
$2.19 MX$41.42
204.11%
Potato (1kg)
$6.92 AWG 12.38
$1.87 MX$35.3
270.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.9 AWG 3.4
$2.19 MX$41.37
-13.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.13 AWG 5.6
$1.07 MX$20.23
192.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$4.55 AWG 8.14
$1.09 MX$20.64
317.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.44 AWG 18.69
$3.96 MX$74.9
163.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.58 AWG 35.05
$8.86 MX$167
120.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.45 AWG 4.38
$1.72 MX$32.53
42.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 AWG 5.57
$2.61 MX$49.37
19.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.98 AWG 3.54
$0.52 MX$9.74
280.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$153 AWG 273
$26.59 MX$503
474.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$19.73 AWG 35.32
$3.24 MX$61.2
508.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.38 MX$44.94
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.7 AWG 35.26
$3.11 MX$58.7
533.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
-
$1.31 MX$24.85
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.3K MX$573K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24K MX$453.6K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$136 AWG 243
$84.2 MX$1,592
61.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$72.2 AWG 129
$22.14 MX$419
226.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$200 AWG 358
$30.14 MX$570
564.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.7 AWG 125
$52 MX$983
34.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.1 AWG 84.3
$18.72 MX$354
151.60%
Cinema Ticket
$8.39 AWG 15.02
$5.07 MX$95.9
65.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$139 AWG 249
$200 MX$3,787
-30.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.2 AWG 142
$35.74 MX$676
121.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$112 AWG 201
$39.8 MX$753
181.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$141 AWG 253
$79 MX$1,493
78.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 AWG 244
$88.4 MX$1,671
54.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,289 AWG 2,308
$965 MX$18.3K
33.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$556 AWG 995
$474 MX$8,968
17.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,569 AWG 2,810
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-5.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,411 AWG 2,527
$1,202 MX$22.7K
17.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,669 AWG 6,569
$792 MX$15K
363.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.42
-

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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