Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Isabel and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,298 in Santa Isabel, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Santa Isabel despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
Learn more

Santa Isabel Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,298 per month in Santa Isabel vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Isabel $1,298
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,045 per month in Santa Isabel vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Isabel $2,045
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,791 per month in Santa Isabel vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Isabel $2,791
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Santa Isabel costs about 8% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Isabel and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Santa Isabel 4% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.18 $19.18

$10.67 MX$199

79.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 $82.6

$43.80 MX$815

88.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 $9.06

$11.79 MX$219

-23.16%

Cappuccino

$3.61 $3.61

$3.79 MX$70.5

-4.75%

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

$1.89 $1.89

$1.30 MX$24.14

45.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.83 MX$15.51

81.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.15 MX$58.6

-4.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$4.93 MX$91.8

2.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.41 MX$26.22

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.20 MX$40.86

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.47 MX$27.40

64.63%

Eggs

$6.21 $6.21

$2.50 MX$46.47

148.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.41 $12.41

$7.29 MX$136

70.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 $9.82

$7.95 MX$148

23.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$12.86 MX$239

1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.90 MX$53.9

72.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.38 MX$25.74

84.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.49 MX$46.36

98.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.03 MX$37.78

130.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.02 MX$37.69

90.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.90 MX$35.42

104.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.14 MX$21.30

195.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.24 MX$23.06

33.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.04 $12.04

$4.27 MX$79.5

181.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 $15.50

$9.81 MX$183

58.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.59 MX$29.51

97.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.75 MX$51.1

43.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$4.76 MX$88.6

-48.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 $0.66

$3.25 MX$60.5

-79.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.69 $39.69

$5.39 MX$100

636.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.53 MX$28.44

-28.76%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

65.36%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

20.05%

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

$318 $318

$83.5 MX$1,554

280.45%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$23.19 MX$431

195.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$27.61 MX$514

157.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$10.62 $10.62

$5.00 MX$93.1

112.40%

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

$826 $826

$207 MX$3,854

298.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

128.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 $56.7

$43.45 MX$809

30.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$42.54 MX$792

46.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$72.8 MX$1,354

47.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.4 MX$1,645

30.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Santa Isabel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Isabel

$457 35.2%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 70.6% $323

Groceries & Markets

Santa Isabel

$398 30.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.3% $140

Eating Out

Santa Isabel

$263 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 23.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 27.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 213% $45

Getting Around

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 777% $45

Accommodation & Living

Santa Isabel

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Santa Isabel versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

18:50 6:50 PM

1 h behind Santa Isabel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Isabel Playa del Carmen 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Santa Isabel is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,948 per month in Santa Isabel and $1,804 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 $1,298 in Santa Isabel and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 7% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $826 per month in Santa Isabel 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 $1,298 in Santa Isabel and $1,202 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,298 in Santa Isabel. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.