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

🙂 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, Laguna is 26.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 39.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, Laguna is 45.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 48.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.76 ₱102
$11.85 MX$205
-85.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$9.05 ₱527
$42.16 MX$730
-78.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.15 ₱184
$10.75 MX$186
-70.70%
Cappuccino
$2.09 ₱122
$3.47 MX$60.2
-39.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 ₱24.62
$1.45 MX$25.17
-71.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 ₱15.11
$0.90 MX$15.64
-71.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.23 ₱71.4
$3.05 MX$52.9
-59.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₱62.7
$4.42 MX$76.5
-75.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 ₱107
$1.37 MX$23.72
34.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 ₱73.0
$1.87 MX$32.43
-33.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.04 ₱60.4
$1.54 MX$26.74
-32.47%
Eggs
$1.68 ₱97.8
$2.50 MX$43.36
-32.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.40 ₱315
$8.61 MX$149
-37.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.29 ₱250
$8.63 MX$150
-50.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.28 ₱424
$11.02 MX$191
-33.94%
Apples (1kg)
$1.65 ₱95.8
$2.75 MX$47.62
-40.00%
Banana (1kg)
$0.51 ₱29.50
$1.43 MX$24.73
-64.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 ₱94.5
$1.87 MX$32.44
-13.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.72 ₱99.9
$2.17 MX$37.54
-20.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.85 ₱166
$1.88 MX$32.61
51.60%
Onion (1kg)
$4.01 ₱234
$2.25 MX$38.91
78.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 ₱91.9
$1.07 MX$18.49
47.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₱61.7
$1.07 MX$18.59
-0.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.10 ₱180
$4.15 MX$72.0
-25.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.70 ₱565
$10.34 MX$179
-6.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 ₱90.7
$1.68 MX$29.08
-7.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ₱119
$2.48 MX$43.02
-17.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₱14.97
$0.55 MX$9.61
-52.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$459
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.78 ₱45.27
$3.22 MX$55.7
-75.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 ₱12.78
$2.48 MX$42.98
-91.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.19 ₱127
$3.11 MX$53.9
-29.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ₱66.4
$1.26 MX$21.75
-9.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.2K ₱1.5M
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-17.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.2K ₱1.2M
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-16.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.5 ₱5,501
$82.5 MX$1,429
14.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.79 ₱1,910
$22.29 MX$386
47.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.34 ₱1,766
$30.02 MX$520
1.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.58 ₱2,013
$51.4 MX$891
-32.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.51 ₱263
$18.29 MX$317
-75.34%
Cinema Ticket
$7.14 ₱416
$4.98 MX$86.3
43.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$80.8 ₱4,706
$200 MX$3,464
-59.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,774 ₱161.5K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
-47.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.29 ₱1,880
$35.71 MX$618
-9.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.46 ₱1,715
$39.56 MX$685
-25.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.8 ₱5,635
$80.6 MX$1,395
20.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.6 ₱5,506
$88.3 MX$1,530
7.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$265 ₱15.4K
$969 MX$16.8K
-72.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$177 ₱10.3K
$482 MX$8,352
-63.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$599 ₱34.9K
$1,595 MX$27.6K
-62.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$387 ₱22.5K
$1,184 MX$20.5K
-67.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,574 ₱149.9K
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-36.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$670 ₱39.0K
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-89.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$756 MX$13.1K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.13
11.42
-28.81%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: March 3, 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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