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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Monica, CA is 54.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 255.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Monica, CA is 99.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 217.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.29 $25.29

$11.99 MX$227

110.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$42.47 MX$803

134.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.3 $12.3

$10.47 MX$198

17.48%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.6 MX$68.2

57.78%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.44 MX$27.16

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.3 $2.3

$0.89 MX$16.79

158.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 $8.59

$3.09 MX$58.5

177.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.32 $9.32

$4.58 MX$86.6

103.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.38 MX$26.04

-14.49%

White Bread (500g)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.85 MX$34.9

140.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.57 MX$29.68

185.99%

Eggs

$7.19 $7.19

$2.55 MX$48.3

181.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$8.61 MX$163

44.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.7 $13.7

$8.54 MX$161

60.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.46 $14.46

$10.98 MX$208

31.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.72 MX$51.4

97.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.51 MX$28.57

29.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.88 MX$35.63

111.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.19 MX$41.42

161.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.87 MX$35.3

59.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.19 MX$41.37

11.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.07 MX$20.23

70.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.09 MX$20.64

94.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 $10.83

$3.96 MX$74.9

173.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.28 $15.28

$8.86 MX$167

72.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.72 MX$32.53

47.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 $5.34

$2.61 MX$49.37

104.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.52 MX$9.74

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.5 $81.5

$26.59 MX$503

206.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.24 MX$61.2

-2.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.38 MX$44.94

-28.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.08 $29.08

$3.11 MX$58.7

835.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.31 MX$24.85

-5.34%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$30.3K MX$573K

-21.33%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$24K MX$453.6K

6.23%

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

$190 $190

$84.2 MX$1,592

125.12%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$22.14 MX$419

163.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67 $67

$30.14 MX$570

122.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$122 $122

$52 MX$983

135.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.73 $44.73

$18.72 MX$354

138.94%

Cinema Ticket

$18.03 $18.03

$5.07 MX$95.9

255.62%

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

$1,791 $1,791

$200 MX$3,787

793.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K $14.7K

$5,333 MX$100.8K

176.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 $62.8

$35.74 MX$676

75.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.08 $34.08

$39.8 MX$753

-14.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$79 MX$1,493

29.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$88.4 MX$1,671

72.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,279 $3,279

$965 MX$18.3K

239.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,892 $2,892

$474 MX$8,968

509.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,850 $6,850

$1,653 MX$31.2K

314.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,897 $5,897

$1,202 MX$22.7K

390.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K $10.8K

$3,081 MX$58.3K

250.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,171 $8,171

$7,529 MX$142.3K

8.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,229 $7,229

$792 MX$15K

813.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.42

-43.17%

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

Last update for Santa Monica, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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