Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rita and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rita: $978 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Santa Rita

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$978

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $978 per month in Santa Rita vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Rita $978
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,468 per month in Santa Rita vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Rita $1,468
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,958 per month in Santa Rita vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Rita $1,958
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Santa Rita is about 19% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Rita and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Santa Rita 28% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 ₲20.3K

$10.86 MX$201

-67.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.71 ₲203.1K

$44.21 MX$817

-19.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

Cappuccino

$3.61 ₲20.5K

$3.68 MX$68.0

-1.90%

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

$0.86 ₲4,909

$1.34 MX$24.79

-35.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₲3,145

$0.82 MX$15.24

-32.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ₲7,872

$4.94 MX$91.2

-72.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 ₲6,404

$1.47 MX$27.17

-23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ₲10.9K

$2.22 MX$40.95

-13.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 ₲7,102

$1.48 MX$27.32

-15.54%

Eggs

$2.91 ₲16.5K

$2.49 MX$45.99

16.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 ₲46.0K

$7.52 MX$139

7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 ₲24.4K

$7.96 MX$147

-45.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 ₲65.8K

$12.57 MX$232

-8.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 ₲29.5K

$2.78 MX$51.3

86.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 ₲20.3K

$2.62 MX$48.37

36.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 ₲18.0K

$2.14 MX$39.49

48.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₲20.5K

$2.02 MX$37.38

78.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 ₲15.4K

$1.99 MX$36.74

36.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₲5,217

$1.14 MX$21.01

-19.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₲7,786

$1.20 MX$22.18

14.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 ₲29.2K

$10.02 MX$185

-48.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₲16.3K

$2.66 MX$49.17

7.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ₲8,241

$0.53 MX$9.73

173.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.91 ₲244.0K

$27.51 MX$508

55.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.33 ₲24.6K

$3.43 MX$63.5

26.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ₲21.7K

$5.38 MX$99.4

-29.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₲8,119

$1.45 MX$26.76

-1.38%

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

$9,866 ₲56.1M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-53.37%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

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

$108 ₲614.4K

$85.4 MX$1,577

26.58%

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

$24.98 ₲142.0K

$23.46 MX$434

6.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.66 ₲225.5K

$28.43 MX$525

39.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.41 ₲246.8K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-30.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.74 ₲152.1K

$28.68 MX$530

-6.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.60 ₲48.9K

$5.10 MX$94.3

68.63%

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

$77.6 ₲441.4K

$201 MX$3,715

-61.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 ₲299.0K

$44.39 MX$820

18.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$88.4 ₲502.4K

$41.35 MX$764

113.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ₲405.9K

$89.6 MX$1,656

-20.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₲2.0M

$979 MX$18.1K

-64.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₲1.5M

$373 MX$6,887

-29.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 ₲2.5M

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-73.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ₲2.0M

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-68.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$530 ₲3.0M

$738 MX$13.6K

-28.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Santa Rita: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rita

–

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rita

–

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Eating Out

Santa Rita

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rita

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rita

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rita

–

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Getting Around

Santa Rita

–

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $350 in Santa Rita versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 39% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Santa Rita versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $258 – making Santa Rita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Santa Rita

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

2 h behind Santa Rita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Rita Playa del Carmen 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,467 per month in Santa Rita and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Rita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $978 in Santa Rita and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Santa Rita. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Rita, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Santa Rita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Rita – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Rita. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.