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

🙂 Solo nomad: Santiago is 8.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 11% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santiago is 27.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 11.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 PAB 4.39

$11.85 MX$211

-62.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.38 PAB 30.38

$42.16 MX$750

-27.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 PAB 4.92

$10.75 MX$191

-54.23%

Cappuccino

$3.67 PAB 3.67

$3.47 MX$61.8

5.76%

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

$0.67 PAB 0.67

$1.45 MX$25.85

-53.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 PAB 0.81

$0.90 MX$16.06

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 PAB 0.97

$3.05 MX$54.3

-68.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 PAB 1.99

$4.42 MX$78.6

-54.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 PAB 1.88

$1.37 MX$24.36

37.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 PAB 2.50

$1.87 MX$33.31

33.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 PAB 2.38

$1.54 MX$27.46

54.55%

Eggs

$2.81 PAB 2.81

$2.50 MX$44.53

12.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 PAB 11.56

$8.61 MX$153

34.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.23 PAB 7.23

$8.63 MX$154

-16.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 PAB 10.22

$11.02 MX$196

-7.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 PAB 3.28

$2.75 MX$48.91

19.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 PAB 1.49

$1.43 MX$25.41

4.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 PAB 2.73

$1.87 MX$33.32

45.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 PAB 3.19

$2.17 MX$38.56

47.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 PAB 2.28

$1.88 MX$33.50

21.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 PAB 2.76

$2.25 MX$39.96

22.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 PAB 2.17

$1.07 MX$18.99

102.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 PAB 1.58

$1.07 MX$19.10

47.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 PAB 6.07

$4.15 MX$73.9

46.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 PAB 10.56

$10.34 MX$184

2.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 PAB 1.30

$1.68 MX$29.87

-22.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 PAB 2.34

$2.48 MX$44.19

-5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$472

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 PAB 2.52

$3.22 MX$57.2

-21.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$2.48 MX$44.15

-27.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.68 PAB 21.68

$3.11 MX$55.3

597.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 PAB 0.87

$1.26 MX$22.34

-30.95%

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

$20.1K PAB 20.1K

$30.7K MX$545.4K

-34.45%

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

$20.9K PAB 20.9K

$24.0K MX$427.6K

-13.22%

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

$121 PAB 121

$82.5 MX$1,467

46.27%

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

$15.04 PAB 15.04

$22.29 MX$396

-32.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 PAB 42.25

$30.02 MX$534

40.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$915

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$325

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 PAB 8.09

$4.98 MX$88.7

62.45%

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

$476 PAB 476

$200 MX$3,558

137.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K PAB 15.5K

$5,304 MX$94.4K

192.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 PAB 52.1

$35.71 MX$635

45.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.79 PAB 46.79

$39.56 MX$704

18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 PAB 87.6

$80.6 MX$1,433

8.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 PAB 121

$88.3 MX$1,571

37.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 PAB 444

$969 MX$17.2K

-54.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 PAB 643

$482 MX$8,579

33.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 PAB 659

$1,595 MX$28.4K

-58.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 PAB 1,082

$1,184 MX$21.1K

-8.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$72.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$116.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

11.42

-45.45%

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

Last update for Santiago: March 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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