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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Lucia is 11.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 2.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Lucia is 20.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.2 CUP 245
$11.99 MX$227
-14.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.27 CUP 726
$42.47 MX$803
-28.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.02 CUP 168
$10.47 MX$198
-32.95%
Cappuccino
$3.33 CUP 79.9
$3.6 MX$68.2
-7.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 CUP 25.95
$1.44 MX$27.16
-25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 CUP 21.17
$0.89 MX$16.79
-1.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.96 CUP 46.98
$3.09 MX$58.5
-36.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 CUP 74.1
$4.58 MX$86.6
-32.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 CUP 46.52
$1.38 MX$26.04
40.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.9 CUP 45.64
$1.85 MX$34.9
2.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 CUP 36.94
$1.57 MX$29.68
-1.91%
Eggs
$3.63 CUP 87.1
$2.55 MX$48.3
42.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.42 CUP 154
$8.61 MX$163
-25.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.95 CUP 143
$8.54 MX$161
-30.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.21 CUP 269
$10.98 MX$208
2.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.77 CUP 66.4
$2.72 MX$51.4
1.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 CUP 37.7
$1.51 MX$28.57
3.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 CUP 48.63
$1.88 MX$35.63
7.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.22 CUP 53.2
$2.19 MX$41.42
1.37%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 CUP 49.09
$1.87 MX$35.3
9.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.7 CUP 40.83
$2.19 MX$41.37
-22.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 CUP 24.49
$1.07 MX$20.23
-4.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 CUP 24.56
$1.09 MX$20.64
-6.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 CUP 97.3
$3.96 MX$74.9
2.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.17 CUP 292
$8.86 MX$167
37.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 CUP 40.32
$1.72 MX$32.53
-2.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 CUP 57.9
$2.61 MX$49.37
-7.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.19 CUP 4.61
$0.52 MX$9.74
-63.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.02 CUP 600
$26.59 MX$503
-5.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 CUP 77.7
$3.24 MX$61.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.42 CUP 10.02
$2.38 MX$44.94
-82.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.27 CUP 366
$3.11 MX$58.7
391.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 CUP 25.5
$1.31 MX$24.85
-19.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$69.6K CUP 1.7M
$30.3K MX$573K
129.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$79.2K CUP 1.9M
$24K MX$453.6K
230.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$34.59 CUP 830
$84.2 MX$1,592
-58.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.14 CUP 363
$22.14 MX$419
-31.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$248 CUP 5,944
$30.14 MX$570
721.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.57 CUP 950
$52 MX$983
-23.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.24 CUP 366
$18.72 MX$354
-18.59%
Cinema Ticket
$1.03 CUP 24.63
$5.07 MX$95.9
-79.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$166 CUP 3,989
$200 MX$3,787
-17.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,009 CUP 96.2K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-24.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.3 CUP 1,711
$35.74 MX$676
99.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.6 CUP 1,335
$39.8 MX$753
39.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 CUP 2,439
$79 MX$1,493
28.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 CUP 2,536
$88.4 MX$1,671
19.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$549 CUP 13.2K
$965 MX$18.3K
-43.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$345 CUP 8,289
$474 MX$8,968
-27.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$753 CUP 18.1K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-54.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$507 CUP 12.2K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-57.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$335 CUP 8,034
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-89.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$381 CUP 9,151
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-94.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Lucia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$55.4 CUP 1,329
$792 MX$15K
-93.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.94
11.42
-56.74%

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

Last update for Santa Lucia: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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