Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago City and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago City and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Santiago City is 49.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 47.5% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Santiago City is 32% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 53.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Santiago City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.54 โ‚ฑ392
$11.61 MX$200
-43.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.05 โ‚ฑ782
$42.75 MX$738
-69.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.49 โ‚ฑ209
$10.60 MX$183
-67.08%
Cappuccino
$0.91 โ‚ฑ54.4
$3.59 MX$62.0
-74.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 โ‚ฑ46.46
$1.45 MX$25.08
-46.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 โ‚ฑ18.30
$0.90 MX$15.50
-65.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.03 โ‚ฑ61.9
$3.03 MX$52.4
-66.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 โ‚ฑ109
$4.56 MX$78.8
-60.09%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santiago City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 โ‚ฑ94.9
$1.45 MX$25.07
8.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.20 โ‚ฑ72.2
$1.83 MX$31.55
-34.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.76 โ‚ฑ45.78
$1.61 MX$27.77
-52.80%
Eggs
$1.58 โ‚ฑ94.7
$2.54 MX$43.82
-37.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.54 โ‚ฑ152
$8.54 MX$148
-70.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.18 โ‚ฑ190
$8.47 MX$146
-62.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.51 โ‚ฑ330
$10.86 MX$188
-49.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 โ‚ฑ159
$2.73 MX$47.13
-2.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.02 โ‚ฑ61.1
$1.49 MX$25.77
-31.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.70 โ‚ฑ41.69
$1.94 MX$33.55
-63.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.44 โ‚ฑ86.2
$2.16 MX$37.38
-33.33%
Potato (1kg)
$3.45 โ‚ฑ207
$1.85 MX$31.88
86.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 โ‚ฑ67.8
$2.19 MX$37.80
-48.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 โ‚ฑ45.29
$1.07 MX$18.52
-28.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 โ‚ฑ56.0
$1.08 MX$18.71
-12.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.33 โ‚ฑ140
$4.06 MX$70.1
-42.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.91 โ‚ฑ234
$10.46 MX$181
-62.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 โ‚ฑ61.7
$1.65 MX$28.56
-37.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.76 โ‚ฑ105
$2.55 MX$44.01
-30.98%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Santiago City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 โ‚ฑ15.40
$0.56 MX$9.60
-53.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.20 MX$453
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.76 โ‚ฑ45.83
$3.14 MX$54.2
-75.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.12 โ‚ฑ7.21
$2.37 MX$40.96
-94.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.50 โ‚ฑ209
$3.24 MX$56.0
8.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 โ‚ฑ68.8
$1.31 MX$22.70
-12.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.0K โ‚ฑ1.3M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-28.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.5K โ‚ฑ1.0M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-26.54%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$74.9 โ‚ฑ4,489
$83.1 MX$1,436
-9.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.93 โ‚ฑ1,613
$22.15 MX$383
21.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.75 โ‚ฑ1,363
$29.37 MX$507
-22.54%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santiago City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.33 โ‚ฑ2,057
$51.2 MX$884
-32.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.42 โ‚ฑ265
$18.69 MX$323
-76.35%
Cinema Ticket
$5.38 โ‚ฑ322
$4.89 MX$84.4
10.02%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Santiago City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$88.8 โ‚ฑ5,318
$199 MX$3,431
-55.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,279 โ‚ฑ256.3K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-17.84%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santiago City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.76 โ‚ฑ2,502
$35.93 MX$621
16.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.73 โ‚ฑ1,422
$39.39 MX$680
-39.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.5 โ‚ฑ3,207
$80.3 MX$1,387
-33.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.10 โ‚ฑ2,402
$87.6 MX$1,512
-54.20%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Santiago City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$265 โ‚ฑ15.9K
$963 MX$16.6K
-72.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$179 โ‚ฑ10.8K
$482 MX$8,326
-62.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$580 โ‚ฑ34.8K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-64.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$397 โ‚ฑ23.8K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-66.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,491 โ‚ฑ149.2K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-37.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Santiago City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$230 โ‚ฑ13.8K
$726 MX$12.5K
-68.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.67
11.42
-41.59%

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

Last update for Santiago City: April 11, 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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