Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
Learn more

Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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, Laguna and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $616 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $616
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $911 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $911
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,206 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 49% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Cruz, Laguna and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Santa Cruz, Laguna 55% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.55 ₱98.8

$10.92 MX$204

-85.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.73 ₱494

$43.37 MX$808

-82.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱178

$11.78 MX$220

-76.32%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱113

$3.81 MX$71.0

-53.81%

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

$0.37 ₱23.90

$1.28 MX$23.90

-71.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.42

$0.78 MX$14.59

-69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱64.7

$3.17 MX$59.0

-68.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.2

$4.93 MX$92.0

-81.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₱98.4

$1.41 MX$26.22

9.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱73.3

$2.22 MX$41.33

-48.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₱57.9

$1.42 MX$26.42

-35.92%

Eggs

$1.52 ₱97.0

$2.52 MX$47.03

-39.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.82 ₱308

$7.26 MX$135

-33.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$7.70 MX$143

-57.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 ₱460

$12.69 MX$237

-43.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.7

$2.78 MX$51.9

-50.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.49 ₱31.52

$1.37 MX$25.50

-64.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₱91.7

$2.55 MX$47.55

-43.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.7

$2.12 MX$39.58

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ₱107

$1.94 MX$36.13

-13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 ₱107

$1.89 MX$35.16

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱39.25

$1.15 MX$21.37

-46.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.12

$1.18 MX$21.98

-55.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱187

$4.30 MX$80.1

-31.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.49 ₱543

$9.95 MX$185

-14.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.4

$1.58 MX$29.52

-39.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱131

$2.67 MX$49.79

-22.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.55 MX$10.31

-61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 ₱735

$26.62 MX$496

-56.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.74

$4.97 MX$92.6

-84.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.00

$3.33 MX$62.1

-93.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$5.36 MX$99.8

-63.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₱76.5

$1.44 MX$26.92

-16.67%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

0.18%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-19.33%

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

$82.8 ₱5,290

$84.8 MX$1,581

-2.36%

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

$17.51 ₱1,118

$23.41 MX$436

-25.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 ₱1,443

$28.66 MX$534

-21.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.30 ₱1,744

$57.1 MX$1,063

-52.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.47 ₱285

$28.91 MX$539

-84.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱321

$5.14 MX$95.8

-2.14%

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

$128 ₱8,194

$207 MX$3,851

-37.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱677.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

170.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.32 ₱1,809

$43.35 MX$808

-34.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.21 ₱1,227

$41.44 MX$772

-53.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 ₱4,447

$74.2 MX$1,383

-6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 ₱3,431

$89.3 MX$1,664

-39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ₱14.0K

$980 MX$18.3K

-77.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 ₱10.2K

$381 MX$7,099

-57.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 ₱30.7K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-71.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₱19.1K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-72.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,453 ₱156.7K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-37.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 ₱68.9K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-82.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 138% $221

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 66.6% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 11.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 45.3% $35

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 295% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 80.2% $30

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 256% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $255 – making Santa Cruz, Laguna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

14:06 2:06 PM

13 h behind Santa Cruz, Laguna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,574

149,923

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz, Laguna Playa del Carmen 15,040 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $923 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $219 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 96%.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Santa Cruz, Laguna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, Laguna, where all-in costs run around $616, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Santa Cruz, Laguna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz, Laguna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Santa Cruz, Laguna is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 96% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.