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 63% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 51% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz is 33.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 29.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 MX$212

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.16 MX$755

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$192

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$62.2

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

$1.45 MX$26.01

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$16.16

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$54.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MX$79.1

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 AWG 3.93

$1.37 MX$24.51

60.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 AWG 4.74

$1.87 MX$33.51

41.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 AWG 7.98

$1.54 MX$27.63

189.61%

Eggs

$4.71 AWG 8.43

$2.50 MX$44.81

88.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 AWG 14.17

$8.61 MX$154

-8.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 AWG 13.52

$8.63 MX$155

-12.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.54 AWG 11.71

$11.02 MX$197

-40.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 AWG 7.99

$2.75 MX$49.22

62.55%

Banana (1kg)

$4.54 AWG 8.12

$1.43 MX$25.56

217.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.22 AWG 14.72

$1.87 MX$33.52

339.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 AWG 11.92

$2.17 MX$38.80

206.91%

Potato (1kg)

$6.87 AWG 12.29

$1.88 MX$33.70

265.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 AWG 3.51

$2.25 MX$40.21

-12.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 AWG 5.33

$1.07 MX$19.11

178.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.31 AWG 7.72

$1.07 MX$19.22

302.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.15 AWG 18.17

$4.15 MX$74.4

144.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.50 AWG 34.91

$10.34 MX$185

88.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$1.68 MX$30.06

48.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 AWG 5.61

$2.48 MX$44.46

26.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 AWG 3.53

$0.55 MX$9.93

258.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$155 AWG 278

$26.53 MX$475

484.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.67 AWG 35.21

$3.22 MX$57.6

510.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$44.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.69 AWG 35.24

$3.11 MX$55.7

533.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.48

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

$30.7K MX$548.8K

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

$24.0K MX$430.3K

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

$141 AWG 252

$82.5 MX$1,476

70.37%

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

$73.1 AWG 131

$22.29 MX$399

227.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$205 AWG 367

$30.02 MX$537

583.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.9 AWG 125

$51.4 MX$921

35.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.61 AWG 83.4

$18.29 MX$327

154.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 AWG 14.62

$4.98 MX$89.2

64.06%

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

$136 AWG 244

$200 MX$3,580

-31.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$94.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.9 AWG 139

$35.71 MX$639

118.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$113 AWG 202

$39.56 MX$708

184.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 AWG 251

$80.6 MX$1,442

73.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 AWG 247

$88.3 MX$1,581

56.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 AWG 2,254

$969 MX$17.4K

29.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$555 AWG 994

$482 MX$8,632

15.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 AWG 2,771

$1,595 MX$28.6K

-2.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 AWG 2,458

$1,184 MX$21.2K

16.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$72.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$116.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,653 AWG 6,539

$756 MX$13.5K

382.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: March 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 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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