Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria, CA and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria, CA and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Maria, CA is 7.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 152.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Maria, CA is 34.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 84% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Maria, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.18 $20.18
$11.99 MX$227
68.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.9 $68.9
$42.47 MX$803
62.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.29 $11.29
$10.47 MX$198
7.83%
Cappuccino
$4.76 $4.76
$3.6 MX$68.2
32.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 $2.45
$1.44 MX$27.16
70.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 $2.01
$0.89 MX$16.79
125.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.11 $6.11
$3.09 MX$58.5
97.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.16 $8.16
$4.58 MX$86.6
78.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Maria, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.97 $0.97
$1.38 MX$26.04
-29.71%
White Bread (500g)
$2.72 $2.72
$1.85 MX$34.9
47.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.76 $4.76
$1.57 MX$29.68
203.18%
Eggs
$3.59 $3.59
$2.55 MX$48.3
40.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.26 $10.26
$8.61 MX$163
19.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.37 $8.37
$8.54 MX$161
-1.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.21 $17.21
$10.98 MX$208
56.74%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 $3.81
$2.72 MX$51.4
40.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.51 MX$28.57
13.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.48 $3.48
$1.88 MX$35.63
85.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.25 $3.25
$2.19 MX$41.42
48.40%
Potato (1kg)
$3.07 $3.07
$1.87 MX$35.3
64.17%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 $2.07
$2.19 MX$41.37
-5.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.07 MX$20.23
66.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.09 MX$20.64
20.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11 $11
$3.96 MX$74.9
177.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.26 $15.26
$8.86 MX$167
72.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.72 MX$32.53
-0.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 $3.31
$2.61 MX$49.37
26.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Maria, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.94 $1.94
$0.52 MX$9.74
273.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.49 $3.49
$3.24 MX$61.2
7.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 $1.81
$2.38 MX$44.94
-23.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.6 $24.6
$3.11 MX$58.7
691.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 $1.23
$1.31 MX$24.85
-6.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.8K $36.8K
$30.3K MX$573K
21.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.4K $29.4K
$24K MX$453.6K
22.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Maria, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$166 $166
$84.2 MX$1,592
97.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.1 $51.1
$22.14 MX$419
130.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$85.4 $85.4
$30.14 MX$570
183.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Maria, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.52 $43.52
$52 MX$983
-16.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.55 $14.55
$5.07 MX$95.9
186.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Maria, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$992 $992
$200 MX$3,787
395.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K $12.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
141.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Maria, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.2 $55.2
$35.74 MX$676
54.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.73 $39.73
$39.8 MX$753
-0.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73 $73
$79 MX$1,493
-7.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.1 $78.1
$88.4 MX$1,671
-11.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Maria, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,257 $2,257
$965 MX$18.3K
133.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,063 $2,063
$474 MX$8,968
334.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,376 $3,376
$1,653 MX$31.2K
104.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,138 $3,138
$1,202 MX$22.7K
161.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,992 $7,992
$3,081 MX$58.3K
159.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,900 $7,900
$7,529 MX$142.3K
4.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Maria, CA
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,387 $4,387
$792 MX$15K
454.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.51
11.42
-42.99%

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

Last update for Santa Maria, CA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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