Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,442 in Santa Rosa, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa, CA
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Santa Rosa, CA Living Index
58

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

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Santa Rosa, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,442

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,442 per month in Santa Rosa, CA vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Rosa, CA $3,442
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $5,030 per month in Santa Rosa, CA vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Rosa, CA $5,030
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $6,617 per month in Santa Rosa, CA vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Rosa, CA $6,617
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Santa Rosa, CA costs about 186% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Rosa, CA sits 153% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.06 $27.06

$10.92 MX$204

147.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 $90.5

$43.37 MX$810

108.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$11.78 MX$220

3.14%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$3.81 MX$71.2

73.23%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.28 MX$23.96

151.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$0.78 MX$14.63

303.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 $7.88

$3.17 MX$59.2

148.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.92 $8.92

$4.93 MX$92.2

80.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.41 MX$26.28

-2.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.22 MX$41.43

106.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.42 MX$26.48

234.51%

Eggs

$5.44 $5.44

$2.52 MX$47.14

115.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.62 $22.62

$7.26 MX$136

211.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$7.70 MX$144

98.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.99 $20.99

$12.69 MX$237

65.41%

Apples (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.78 MX$52.0

119.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.37 MX$25.56

82.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$2.55 MX$47.66

165.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$2.12 MX$39.67

222.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.94 MX$36.22

103.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.89 MX$35.24

84.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.15 MX$21.42

166.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.18 MX$22.03

66.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$4.30 MX$80.3

173.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 $11.85

$9.95 MX$186

19.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.58 MX$29.59

36.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.67 MX$49.91

-22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.55 MX$10.34

178.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 $50.2

$26.62 MX$497

88.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.97 MX$92.9

-20.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.33 MX$62.2

-41.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.43 $29.43

$5.36 MX$100

449.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.44 MX$26.98

3.47%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

33.09%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

13.84%

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

$196 $196

$84.8 MX$1,584

131.01%

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

$49.40 $49.40

$23.41 MX$437

111.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$28.66 MX$535

149.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.2 $68.2

$57.1 MX$1,066

19.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.99 $13.99

$28.91 MX$540

-51.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.27 $14.27

$5.14 MX$96.0

177.63%

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

$1,255 $1,255

$207 MX$3,860

507.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.0K $40.0K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

919.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 $50.5

$43.35 MX$810

16.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.55 $36.55

$41.44 MX$774

-11.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$74.2 MX$1,386

41.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$89.3 MX$1,668

42.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,336 $2,336

$980 MX$18.3K

138.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,893 $1,893

$381 MX$7,116

397.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,569 $3,569

$1,708 MX$31.9K

108.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,100 $3,100

$1,075 MX$20.1K

188.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,019 $5,019

$3,943 MX$73.7K

27.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,908 $4,908

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-20.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,740 $4,740

$735 MX$13.7K

545.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

11.45

-43.58%

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

Last update for Santa Rosa, CA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rosa, CA

$1.9K 55%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 79.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rosa, CA

$507 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 49.8% $253

Eating Out

Santa Rosa, CA

$415 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 51.2% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rosa, CA

$317 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 56.8% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rosa, CA

$143 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rosa, CA

$97 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 30.4% $29

Getting Around

Santa Rosa, CA

$70 2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 27.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,336 in Santa Rosa, CA versus $980 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 in Santa Rosa, CA are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Santa Rosa, CA versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $507 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Rosa, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

2 h ahead of Santa Rosa, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,972

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Santa Rosa, CA Playa del Carmen 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Rosa, CA
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 Rosa, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Rosa, CA is pricier by about 186%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,164 per month in Santa Rosa, CA 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $2,336 in Santa Rosa, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,442 in Santa Rosa, CA and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 186%.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Santa Rosa, CA at $3,442. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Rosa, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Rosa, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.