Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,285 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,285

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Cruz and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,285
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,988 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,988
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,690 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,690
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Santa Cruz costs about 7% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Cruz and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Santa Cruz 6% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.37 JMD 1,163

$10.92 MX$204

-32.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 JMD 10.0K

$43.37 MX$810

46.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 JMD 1,016

$11.78 MX$220

-45.25%

Cappuccino

$5.34 JMD 842

$3.81 MX$71.2

40.16%

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

$1.16 JMD 182

$1.28 MX$23.96

-9.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 JMD 119

$0.78 MX$14.63

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$3.17 MX$59.2

-28.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 485

$4.93 MX$92.2

-37.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.04 JMD 638

$1.41 MX$26.28

186.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 JMD 406

$2.22 MX$41.43

16.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 JMD 248

$1.42 MX$26.48

10.56%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$2.52 MX$47.14

37.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 JMD 1,787

$7.26 MX$136

56.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.40 JMD 1,010

$7.70 MX$144

-16.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 JMD 1,641

$12.69 MX$237

-17.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.97 JMD 941

$2.78 MX$52.0

114.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.83 JMD 604

$1.37 MX$25.56

179.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.43 JMD 1,171

$2.55 MX$47.66

191.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 474

$2.12 MX$39.67

41.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 JMD 523

$1.94 MX$36.22

71.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 JMD 416

$1.89 MX$35.24

39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 475

$1.15 MX$21.42

161.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$1.18 MX$22.03

22.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 JMD 1,494

$4.30 MX$80.3

120.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 JMD 1,818

$9.95 MX$186

15.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 JMD 456

$1.58 MX$29.59

82.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 JMD 632

$2.67 MX$49.91

50.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 JMD 201

$4.97 MX$92.9

-74.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.12 JMD 492

$3.33 MX$62.2

-6.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 JMD 966

$5.36 MX$100

14.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 220

$1.44 MX$26.98

-3.47%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

117.02%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

38.74%

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

$166 JMD 26.2K

$84.8 MX$1,584

95.95%

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

$29.57 JMD 4,664

$23.41 MX$437

26.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 JMD 8,165

$28.66 MX$535

80.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.40 JMD 6,055

$57.1 MX$1,066

-32.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 JMD 2,119

$5.14 MX$96.0

161.48%

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

$359 JMD 56.6K

$207 MX$3,860

73.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,104 JMD 1.3M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

106.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.66 JMD 3,731

$43.35 MX$810

-45.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.85 JMD 5,022

$41.44 MX$774

-23.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

$74.2 MX$1,386

5.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 15.9K

$89.3 MX$1,668

12.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 JMD 49.0K

$381 MX$7,116

-18.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 JMD 78.8K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-53.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 JMD 64.3K

$735 MX$13.7K

-44.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.45

-17.47%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$371 28.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 31.4% $117

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$311 24.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 22.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$248 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 44.7% $111

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$168 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 20.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.8% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$65 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.1% $2

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$17 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 199% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 80% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Santa Cruz versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

Same time as Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,217

149,923

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Playa del Carmen 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santa Cruz vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,928 per month in Santa Cruz and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,285 in Santa Cruz and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $359 per month in Santa Cruz and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,285 in Santa Cruz and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,285 in Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.