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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, Laguna is 42.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 39.5% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Santa Cruz, Laguna is 24.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 50.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.79 โ‚ฑ99.7
$11.99 MX$227
-85.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$9.05 โ‚ฑ504
$42.47 MX$803
-78.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.02 โ‚ฑ168
$10.47 MX$198
-71.16%
Cappuccino
$2.07 โ‚ฑ115
$3.6 MX$68.2
-42.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 โ‚ฑ23.55
$1.44 MX$27.16
-70.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 โ‚ฑ15.76
$0.89 MX$16.79
-68.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.27 โ‚ฑ70.7
$3.09 MX$58.5
-58.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 โ‚ฑ59.9
$4.58 MX$86.6
-76.42%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 โ‚ฑ96.8
$1.38 MX$26.04
26.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.26 โ‚ฑ70
$1.85 MX$34.9
-31.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.04 โ‚ฑ58.1
$1.57 MX$29.68
-33.76%
Eggs
$1.73 โ‚ฑ96.2
$2.55 MX$48.3
-32.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.41 โ‚ฑ301
$8.61 MX$163
-37.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.23 โ‚ฑ235
$8.54 MX$161
-50.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.08 โ‚ฑ394
$10.98 MX$208
-35.52%
Apples (1kg)
$1.56 โ‚ฑ87.1
$2.72 MX$51.4
-42.65%
Banana (1kg)
$0.52 โ‚ฑ28.75
$1.51 MX$28.57
-65.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 โ‚ฑ90
$1.88 MX$35.63
-13.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 โ‚ฑ91.9
$2.19 MX$41.42
-24.66%
Potato (1kg)
$2.75 โ‚ฑ153
$1.87 MX$35.3
47.06%
Onion (1kg)
$4.13 โ‚ฑ230
$2.19 MX$41.37
88.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 โ‚ฑ90.2
$1.07 MX$20.23
51.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 โ‚ฑ58.3
$1.09 MX$20.64
-3.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.21 โ‚ฑ179
$3.96 MX$74.9
-18.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 โ‚ฑ437
$8.86 MX$167
-11.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 โ‚ฑ87.2
$1.72 MX$32.53
-8.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 โ‚ฑ110
$2.61 MX$49.37
-24.52%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 โ‚ฑ14.39
$0.52 MX$9.74
-50.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.81 โ‚ฑ45.31
$3.24 MX$61.2
-75.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.24 โ‚ฑ13.39
$2.38 MX$44.94
-89.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.07 โ‚ฑ116
$3.11 MX$58.7
-33.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.1 โ‚ฑ61.1
$1.31 MX$24.85
-16.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.3K โ‚ฑ1.4M
$30.3K MX$573K
-16.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.8K โ‚ฑ1.2M
$24K MX$453.6K
-13.41%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.6 โ‚ฑ5,434
$84.2 MX$1,592
15.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.06 โ‚ฑ1,841
$22.14 MX$419
49.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.51 โ‚ฑ1,699
$30.14 MX$570
1.23%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.57 โ‚ฑ1,925
$52 MX$983
-33.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.98 โ‚ฑ389
$5.07 MX$95.9
37.67%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$81.9 โ‚ฑ4,562
$200 MX$3,787
-59.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,807 โ‚ฑ156.3K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-47.35%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.27 โ‚ฑ1,797
$35.74 MX$676
-9.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.78 โ‚ฑ1,658
$39.8 MX$753
-25.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.7 โ‚ฑ5,495
$79 MX$1,493
24.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$92.3 โ‚ฑ5,138
$88.4 MX$1,671
4.44%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$262 โ‚ฑ14.6K
$965 MX$18.3K
-72.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$174 โ‚ฑ9,700
$474 MX$8,968
-63.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$599 โ‚ฑ33.3K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-63.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$398 โ‚ฑ22.2K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-66.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,238 โ‚ฑ124.6K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-27.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$792 MX$15K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.13
11.42
-28.81%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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