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 14.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8.5% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Santa Tecla is 19.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 14.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.84 $7.84
$11.61 MX$200
-32.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.35 $35.35
$42.75 MX$738
-17.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.84 $6.84
$10.60 MX$183
-35.47%
Cappuccino
$3.23 $3.23
$3.59 MX$62.0
-10.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.45 MX$25.08
-24.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 $0.90
$0.90 MX$15.50
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.99 $1.99
$3.03 MX$52.4
-34.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 $3.04
$4.56 MX$78.8
-33.33%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 $1.75
$1.45 MX$25.07
20.69%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 $2.07
$1.83 MX$31.55
13.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 $1.55
$1.61 MX$27.77
-3.73%
Eggs
$2.36 $2.36
$2.54 MX$43.82
-7.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.85 $6.85
$8.54 MX$148
-19.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.50 $5.50
$8.47 MX$146
-35.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.68 $10.68
$10.86 MX$188
-1.66%
Apples (1kg)
$3.13 $3.13
$2.73 MX$47.13
14.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 $1.73
$1.49 MX$25.77
16.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 $2.55
$1.94 MX$33.55
31.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 $2.75
$2.16 MX$37.38
27.31%
Potato (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.85 MX$31.88
19.46%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 $2.20
$2.19 MX$37.80
0.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 $0.95
$1.07 MX$18.52
-11.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.08 MX$18.71
-5.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 $3.99
$4.06 MX$70.1
-1.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.08 $11.08
$10.46 MX$181
5.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 $1.70
$1.65 MX$28.56
3.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 $2.39
$2.55 MX$44.01
-6.27%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.56 MX$9.60
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.20 MX$453
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 $5.38
$3.14 MX$54.2
71.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.11 $3.11
$2.37 MX$40.96
31.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.71 $19.71
$3.24 MX$56.0
508.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.31 MX$22.70
-22.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.0K $26.0K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-14.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K $28.4K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
19.21%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 $103
$83.1 MX$1,436
24.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.23 $19.23
$22.15 MX$383
-13.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.11 $42.11
$29.37 MX$507
43.38%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.12 $25.12
$51.2 MX$884
-50.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.69 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.34 $5.34
$4.89 MX$84.4
9.20%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$145 $145
$199 MX$3,431
-27.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,044 $6,044
$5,207 MX$89.9K
16.07%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 $68.4
$35.93 MX$621
90.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.76 $42.76
$39.39 MX$680
8.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 $115
$80.3 MX$1,387
42.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 $105
$87.6 MX$1,512
20.24%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$806 $806
$963 MX$16.6K
-16.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$591 $591
$482 MX$8,326
22.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,191 $1,191
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-27.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$917 $917
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-23.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Santa Tecla
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$401 $401
$726 MX$12.5K
-44.72%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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