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 93% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 232.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 81.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 156.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.89 $22.89

$11.85 MX$209

93.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$42.16 MX$744

88.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.68 $12.68

$10.75 MX$190

17.95%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$3.47 MX$61.3

72.05%

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

$3.39 $3.39

$1.45 MX$25.65

133.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.90 MX$15.93

173.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.05 MX$53.9

126.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$4.42 MX$77.9

66.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.37 MX$24.17

-0.73%

White Bread (500g)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.87 MX$33.05

165.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.77 $6.77

$1.54 MX$27.25

339.61%

Eggs

$6.10 $6.10

$2.50 MX$44.18

144.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.51 $23.51

$8.61 MX$152

173.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.75 $14.75

$8.63 MX$152

70.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.74 $23.74

$11.02 MX$195

115.43%

Apples (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$2.75 MX$48.53

162.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.43 MX$25.21

103.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$1.87 MX$33.05

178.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$2.17 MX$38.26

256.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.88 MX$33.23

104.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.25 MX$39.65

72.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.07 MX$18.85

164.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.07 MX$18.95

164.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.84 $13.84

$4.15 MX$73.3

233.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$30.42 $30.42

$10.34 MX$182

194.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.68 MX$29.64

23.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.48 MX$43.84

11.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.55 MX$9.80

272.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$26.53 MX$468

147.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.22 MX$56.8

26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.48 MX$43.80

-22.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.13 $39.13

$3.11 MX$54.9

1158.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.26 MX$22.16

2.38%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$30.7K MX$541.1K

15.12%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$24.0K MX$424.3K

6.07%

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

$222 $222

$82.5 MX$1,456

168.84%

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

$47.69 $47.69

$22.29 MX$393

113.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$30.02 MX$530

120.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 $59.6

$51.4 MX$908

15.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$16.77 $16.77

$4.98 MX$88.0

236.75%

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

$3,166 $3,166

$200 MX$3,530

1483.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K $38.5K

$5,304 MX$93.6K

626.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 $62.4

$35.71 MX$630

74.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.11 $45.11

$39.56 MX$698

14.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$80.6 MX$1,422

0.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$88.3 MX$1,559

32.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 $2,924

$969 MX$17.1K

201.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,590 $2,590

$482 MX$8,511

437.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,670 $5,670

$1,595 MX$28.2K

255.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,152 $4,152

$1,184 MX$20.9K

250.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,946 $7,946

$4,050 MX$71.5K

96.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K $11.4K

$6,522 MX$115.1K

74.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,566 $5,566

$756 MX$13.4K

635.93%

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: 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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