Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Isabel and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Isabel and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Isabel is 5.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 33% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Isabel is 57.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Isabel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.56 $8.56
$11.99 MX$227
-28.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.9 $75.9
$42.47 MX$803
78.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.18 $6.18
$10.47 MX$198
-40.97%
Cappuccino
$1.98 $1.98
$3.6 MX$68.2
-45.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 $1.37
$1.44 MX$27.16
-4.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 $1.45
$0.89 MX$16.79
62.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.2 $2.2
$3.09 MX$58.5
-28.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 $3.74
$4.58 MX$86.6
-18.34%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Isabel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 $1.27
$1.38 MX$26.04
-7.97%
White Bread (500g)
$3.33 $3.33
$1.85 MX$34.9
80.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.2 $2.2
$1.57 MX$29.68
40.13%
Eggs
$6.16 $6.16
$2.55 MX$48.3
141.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.96 $8.96
$8.61 MX$163
4.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.68 $8.68
$8.54 MX$161
1.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.56 $12.56
$10.98 MX$208
14.39%
Apples (1kg)
$5.75 $5.75
$2.72 MX$51.4
111.40%
Banana (1kg)
$2.63 $2.63
$1.51 MX$28.57
74.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.96 $3.96
$1.88 MX$35.63
110.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.03 $4.03
$2.19 MX$41.42
84.02%
Potato (1kg)
$4.07 $4.07
$1.87 MX$35.3
117.65%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 $2.95
$2.19 MX$41.37
34.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.11 $3.11
$1.07 MX$20.23
190.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.09 MX$20.64
84.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.87 $11.87
$3.96 MX$74.9
199.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.67 $16.67
$8.86 MX$167
88.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.57 $2.57
$1.72 MX$32.53
49.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 $3.22
$2.61 MX$49.37
23.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Isabel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.24 MX$61.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.68 $0.68
$2.38 MX$44.94
-71.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.18 $15.18
$3.11 MX$58.7
388.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.31 MX$24.85
-22.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K $23.4K
$30.3K MX$573K
-22.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K $22.6K
$24K MX$453.6K
-5.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Isabel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$495 $495
$84.2 MX$1,592
487.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$78.6 $78.6
$22.14 MX$419
254.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.8 $59.8
$30.14 MX$570
98.47%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Isabel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.16 $49.16
$52 MX$983
-5.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.58 $7.58
$5.07 MX$95.9
49.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Isabel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$479 $479
$200 MX$3,787
139.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K $10.5K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
96.59%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Isabel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 $45.16
$35.74 MX$676
26.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.94 $34.94
$39.8 MX$753
-12.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.3 $92.3
$79 MX$1,493
16.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.7 $70.7
$88.4 MX$1,671
-19.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Isabel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$506 $506
$965 MX$18.3K
-47.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$372 $372
$474 MX$8,968
-21.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,773 $1,773
$1,653 MX$31.2K
7.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$553 $553
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-53.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$989 $989
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-67.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$871 $871
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-88.43%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Santa Isabel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,576 $1,576
$792 MX$15K
99.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.75
11.42
-58.41%

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

Last update for Santa Isabel: October 26, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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