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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, CA is 41.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 237.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 113.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 150.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.44 $22.44

$11.99 MX$227

87.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$42.47 MX$803

87.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 $12.36

$10.47 MX$198

18.05%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$3.6 MX$68.2

62.50%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$1.44 MX$27.16

136.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.89 MX$16.79

185.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.09 MX$58.5

124.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 $7.46

$4.58 MX$86.6

62.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.38 MX$26.04

3.62%

White Bread (500g)

$5.16 $5.16

$1.85 MX$34.9

178.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$1.57 MX$29.68

323.57%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$2.55 MX$48.3

133.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.24 $23.24

$8.61 MX$163

169.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.85 $14.85

$8.54 MX$161

73.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.7 $23.7

$10.98 MX$208

115.85%

Apples (1kg)

$7.05 $7.05

$2.72 MX$51.4

159.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.51 MX$28.57

84.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.88 MX$35.63

182.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$2.19 MX$41.42

242.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.87 MX$35.3

107.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.19 MX$41.37

79.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.9 $2.9

$1.07 MX$20.23

171.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.09 MX$20.64

162.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.96 MX$74.9

257.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$8.86 MX$167

35.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.72 MX$32.53

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.61 MX$49.37

2.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.52 MX$9.74

294.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 $65.2

$26.59 MX$503

145.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.24 MX$61.2

26.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.38 MX$44.94

-18.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.9 $38.9

$3.11 MX$58.7

1150.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.31 MX$24.85

-5.34%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$30.3K MX$573K

15.15%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$24K MX$453.6K

10.27%

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

$221 $221

$84.2 MX$1,592

162.10%

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

$47.05 $47.05

$22.14 MX$419

112.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$30.14 MX$570

125.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 $60.2

$52 MX$983

15.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.72 MX$354

Cinema Ticket

$17.04 $17.04

$5.07 MX$95.9

236.09%

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

$3,225 $3,225

$200 MX$3,787

1510.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K $38.5K

$5,333 MX$100.8K

621.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 $63.2

$35.74 MX$676

76.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 $46.64

$39.8 MX$753

17.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$79 MX$1,493

0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.4 MX$1,671

30.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,893 $2,893

$965 MX$18.3K

199.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,648 $2,648

$474 MX$8,968

458.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,700 $5,700

$1,653 MX$31.2K

244.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,219 $4,219

$1,202 MX$22.7K

250.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,235 $9,235

$3,081 MX$58.3K

199.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,116 $8,116

$7,529 MX$142.3K

7.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,594 $5,594

$792 MX$15K

606.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

11.42

-44.31%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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