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 26.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 23.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz is 44.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 5.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.99 ₡5,371

$11.58 MX$212

-5.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 ₡29.1K

$42 MX$769

41.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.8 ₡4,790

$10.5 MX$192

-6.67%

Cappuccino

$3.87 ₡1,892

$3.43 MX$62.8

12.83%

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

$1.98 ₡966

$1.49 MX$27.34

32.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.6 ₡782

$0.94 MX$17.27

70.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 ₡1,475

$3.08 MX$56.3

-1.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ₡2,255

$4.37 MX$79.9

5.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ₡974

$1.39 MX$25.44

43.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,362

$1.85 MX$33.81

50.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₡1,053

$1.58 MX$28.88

36.08%

Eggs

$3.05 ₡1,488

$2.51 MX$46

21.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ₡4,972

$8.26 MX$151

23.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 ₡4,575

$8.7 MX$159

7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.44 ₡6,564

$10.73 MX$196

25.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 ₡2,193

$2.61 MX$47.74

72.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ₡494

$1.49 MX$27.28

-32.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 ₡2,139

$1.95 MX$35.72

124.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,744

$2.09 MX$38.26

70.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 ₡1,664

$1.81 MX$33.05

88.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,508

$2.16 MX$39.62

43.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 ₡463

$1.03 MX$18.85

-7.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₡1,435

$1.08 MX$19.7

172.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.42 ₡2,647

$4.14 MX$75.9

30.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.94 ₡8,766

$8.88 MX$163

102.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₡1,180

$1.67 MX$30.64

44.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,409

$2.53 MX$46.31

13.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₡505

$0.51 MX$9.27

101.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.68 MX$488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₡905

$3.26 MX$59.7

-43.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡895

$2.51 MX$45.94

-27.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 ₡3,898

$3.12 MX$57.2

155.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₡719

$1.31 MX$23.96

12.21%

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

$37.6K ₡18.4M

$30.9K MX$565K

21.95%

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

$32.4K ₡15.8M

$23.9K MX$436.9K

35.81%

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

$94.5 ₡46.2K

$83 MX$1,520

13.79%

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

$25.6 ₡12.5K

$22.59 MX$414

13.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡25.9K

$29.51 MX$540

79.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57 ₡27.8K

$51.6 MX$944

10.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 ₡11.5K

$18.42 MX$337

27.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 ₡2,890

$4.9 MX$89.7

20.82%

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

$575 ₡280.9K

$200 MX$3,668

186.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ₡6.2M

$5,179 MX$94.8K

143.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡30.2K

$36.41 MX$667

69.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 ₡24.8K

$39.91 MX$731

27.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡61.6K

$79.9 MX$1,462

58.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ₡51.5K

$87.7 MX$1,605

20.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ₡366.2K

$983 MX$18K

-23.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 ₡286.8K

$470 MX$8,612

24.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 ₡742.5K

$1,610 MX$29.5K

-5.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$966 ₡471.8K

$1,189 MX$21.8K

-18.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,839 MX$70.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,205 MX$113.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 MX$13.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

11.42

-10.95%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: December 1, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 30, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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