Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: $746 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$746

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $746 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $746
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,243 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,243
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,740 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,740
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas is about 38% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 45% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.96 Q 53.1

$10.67 MX$201

-34.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.15 Q 375

$43.80 MX$824

12.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 Q 59.1

$11.79 MX$222

-34.35%

Cappuccino

$3.27 Q 24.97

$3.79 MX$71.2

-13.72%

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

$1.15 Q 8.79

$1.30 MX$24.41

-11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 Q 7.60

$0.83 MX$15.69

19.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 Q 25.44

$3.15 MX$59.2

5.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 Q 36.11

$4.93 MX$92.9

-4.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 Q 15.24

$1.41 MX$26.51

41.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 Q 23.99

$2.20 MX$41.32

42.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 Q 15.70

$1.47 MX$27.71

40.14%

Eggs

$2.38 Q 18.17

$2.50 MX$46.99

-4.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 Q 47.73

$7.29 MX$137

-14.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 Q 71.0

$7.95 MX$150

16.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.40 Q 102

$12.86 MX$242

4.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 Q 29.27

$2.90 MX$54.5

32.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.69

$1.38 MX$26.03

20.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 Q 21.88

$2.49 MX$46.88

15.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 Q 12.28

$2.03 MX$38.20

-20.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 Q 11.76

$2.02 MX$38.11

-23.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Q 16.73

$1.90 MX$35.82

15.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Q 5.68

$1.14 MX$21.54

-35.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 Q 8.90

$1.24 MX$23.32

-5.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 Q 30.85

$4.27 MX$80.4

-5.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 Q 61.3

$9.81 MX$185

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Q 13.32

$1.59 MX$29.85

9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 Q 19.95

$2.75 MX$51.7

-5.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 Q 40.51

$4.76 MX$89.6

11.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.43 Q 79.6

$5.39 MX$101

93.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.15

$1.53 MX$28.76

-13.07%

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

$27.7K Q 211.9K

$21.2K MX$399.2K

30.81%

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

$25.6K Q 195.5K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

10.08%

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

$71.8 Q 548

$83.5 MX$1,571

-13.98%

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

$28.67 Q 219

$23.19 MX$436

23.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.52 Q 355

$27.61 MX$520

68.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 Q 50.8

$5.00 MX$94.1

33.20%

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

$337 Q 2,574

$207 MX$3,897

62.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,557 Q 50.1K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

25.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.91 Q 373

$43.45 MX$818

12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.72 Q 357

$42.54 MX$801

9.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 Q 910

$72.8 MX$1,369

63.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 Q 874

$88.4 MX$1,663

29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.45

1.48%

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

Last update for Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Eating Out

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Getting Around

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

22:37 10:37 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,234

149,923

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.54 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas Playa del Carmen 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas
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 Lucía Milpas Altas vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,119 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 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 $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Santa Lucía Milpas Altas about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $337 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, where all-in costs run around $746, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Santa Lucía Milpas Altas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.