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 61.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 46% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz is 50.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 23.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

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

$1.50 MX$26.45

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 AWG 3.76

$1.39 MX$24.54

51.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 AWG 4.72

$1.90 MX$33.47

38.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 AWG 7.82

$1.60 MX$28.27

173.13%

Eggs

$4.71 AWG 8.42

$2.60 MX$45.97

81.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 AWG 14.07

$8.36 MX$148

-5.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.50 AWG 13.43

$8.64 MX$152

-13.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.59 AWG 11.80

$10.91 MX$192

-39.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 AWG 8.03

$2.61 MX$45.98

71.65%

Banana (1kg)

$4.50 AWG 8.06

$1.44 MX$25.46

212.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.12 AWG 14.53

$1.96 MX$34.55

314.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 AWG 11.79

$2.12 MX$37.34

210.85%

Potato (1kg)

$6.84 AWG 12.25

$1.86 MX$32.87

267.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 AWG 3.40

$2.22 MX$39.20

-14.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 AWG 5.55

$1.02 MX$17.99

203.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.47 AWG 8.00

$1.04 MX$18.36

329.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 AWG 18.56

$4.05 MX$71.5

156.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.19 AWG 34.35

$10.18 MX$180

88.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$1.69 MX$29.79

47.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 AWG 5.43

$2.62 MX$46.25

16.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 AWG 3.52

$0.51 MX$9.09

284.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$157 AWG 282

$26.52 MX$468

493.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.33 AWG 34.60

$3.15 MX$55.7

513.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.38 AWG 34.69

$3.26 MX$57.5

494.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

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

$138 AWG 247

$83.5 MX$1,474

65.38%

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

$71.8 AWG 129

$22.86 MX$404

214.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$202 AWG 361

$30.04 MX$530

571.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 AWG 123

$51.9 MX$916

31.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.27 AWG 84.6

$18.30 MX$323

158.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 AWG 15.08

$5.12 MX$90.4

64.65%

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

$137 AWG 245

$201 MX$3,541

-31.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 AWG 139

$35.73 MX$631

117.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$111 AWG 199

$40.27 MX$711

176.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 AWG 251

$79.2 MX$1,398

77.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 AWG 244

$89.3 MX$1,576

52.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 AWG 2,280

$947 MX$16.7K

34.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 AWG 987

$483 MX$8,525

14.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,543 AWG 2,762

$1,599 MX$28.2K

-3.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 AWG 2,461

$1,211 MX$21.4K

13.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,678 AWG 6,584

$730 MX$12.9K

404.13%

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: January 11, 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

Similar cities

Tallinn

🇪🇪 Estonia

Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

Brno

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

Valencia

🇪🇸 Spain

Panama City

🇵🇦 Panama

Nicosia

🇨🇾 Cyprus

Naples

🇮🇹 Italy

Koh Phi Phi

🇹🇭 Thailand