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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Santa Tecla is 9.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 7.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Santa Tecla is 17.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 15.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.81 $7.81
$11.99 MX$227
-34.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.39 $35.39
$42.47 MX$803
-16.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.2 $7.2
$10.47 MX$198
-31.23%
Cappuccino
$3.31 $3.31
$3.6 MX$68.2
-8.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.1 $1.1
$1.44 MX$27.16
-23.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 $0.86
$0.89 MX$16.79
-3.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 $1.95
$3.09 MX$58.5
-36.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 $3.04
$4.58 MX$86.6
-33.62%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 $1.67
$1.38 MX$26.04
21.01%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 $2.02
$1.85 MX$34.9
9.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.5 $1.5
$1.57 MX$29.68
-4.46%
Eggs
$2.37 $2.37
$2.55 MX$48.3
-7.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.1 $7.1
$8.61 MX$163
-17.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.36 $5.36
$8.54 MX$161
-37.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.72 $10.72
$10.98 MX$208
-2.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.1 $3.1
$2.72 MX$51.4
13.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.72 $1.72
$1.51 MX$28.57
13.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.6 $2.6
$1.88 MX$35.63
38.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.71 $2.71
$2.19 MX$41.42
23.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 $2.22
$1.87 MX$35.3
18.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$2.19 MX$41.37
0.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 $0.94
$1.07 MX$20.23
-12.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.09 MX$20.64
-6.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.1 $4.1
$3.96 MX$74.9
3.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.04 $10.04
$8.86 MX$167
13.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 $1.75
$1.72 MX$32.53
1.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 $2.51
$2.61 MX$49.37
-3.83%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.6 $5.6
$3.24 MX$61.2
72.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.97 $2.97
$2.38 MX$44.94
24.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.12 $20.12
$3.11 MX$58.7
546.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1 $1
$1.31 MX$24.85
-23.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.1K $25.1K
$30.3K MX$573K
-17.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.1K $28.1K
$24K MX$453.6K
17.15%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 $104
$84.2 MX$1,592
22.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.19 $19.19
$22.14 MX$419
-13.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.99 $41.99
$30.14 MX$570
39.32%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.19 $25.19
$52 MX$983
-51.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.22 $5.22
$5.07 MX$95.9
2.96%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$147 $147
$200 MX$3,787
-26.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,034 $6,034
$5,333 MX$100.8K
13.15%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.9 $66.9
$35.74 MX$676
87.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.07 $44.07
$39.8 MX$753
10.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 $115
$79 MX$1,493
45.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 $107
$88.4 MX$1,671
20.69%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$797 $797
$965 MX$18.3K
-17.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$595 $595
$474 MX$8,968
25.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 $1,179
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-28.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$889 $889
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-26.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$792 MX$15K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.58
11.42
-24.87%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.