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

🙂 Solo nomad: Santiago is 16.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 1.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santiago is 14.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 9.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santiago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.98 CLP 10.2K
$11.99 MX$227
-8.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 CLP 50K
$42.47 MX$803
26.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.21 CLP 7,636
$10.47 MX$198
-21.59%
Cappuccino
$3.23 CLP 3,004
$3.6 MX$68.2
-10.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 CLP 1,645
$1.44 MX$27.16
22.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 CLP 1,215
$0.89 MX$16.79
47.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 CLP 2,958
$3.09 MX$58.5
2.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.33 CLP 4,029
$4.58 MX$86.6
-5.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santiago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 CLP 1,107
$1.38 MX$26.04
-13.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 CLP 1,404
$1.85 MX$34.9
-18.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.2 CLP 2,043
$1.57 MX$29.68
40.13%
Eggs
$4.05 CLP 3,770
$2.55 MX$48.3
58.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.28 CLP 9,556
$8.61 MX$163
19.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.8 CLP 6,325
$8.54 MX$161
-20.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.01 CLP 10.2K
$10.98 MX$208
0.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 CLP 1,905
$2.72 MX$51.4
-24.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 CLP 1,435
$1.51 MX$28.57
1.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.04 CLP 1,901
$1.88 MX$35.63
8.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.85 CLP 1,722
$2.19 MX$41.42
-15.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 CLP 1,752
$1.87 MX$35.3
0.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 CLP 1,563
$2.19 MX$41.37
-23.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 CLP 1,241
$1.07 MX$20.23
24.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 CLP 1,093
$1.09 MX$20.64
8.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.55 CLP 5,159
$3.96 MX$74.9
40.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.27 CLP 5,832
$8.86 MX$167
-29.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 CLP 1,483
$1.72 MX$32.53
-7.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 CLP 2,363
$2.61 MX$49.37
-2.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Santiago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.9 CLP 837
$0.52 MX$9.74
73.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.21 CLP 39.3K
$26.59 MX$503
58.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.51 CLP 478
$3.24 MX$61.2
-84.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 CLP 1,367
$2.38 MX$44.94
-38.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.63 CLP 10.8K
$3.11 MX$58.7
273.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 CLP 1,337
$1.31 MX$24.85
9.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K CLP 18.1M
$30.3K MX$573K
-35.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23K CLP 21.4M
$24K MX$453.6K
-4.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santiago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 CLP 124.6K
$84.2 MX$1,592
59.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 CLP 12.7K
$22.14 MX$419
-38.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.36 CLP 20.8K
$30.14 MX$570
-25.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santiago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.96 CLP 31.6K
$52 MX$983
-34.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.81 CLP 19.3K
$18.72 MX$354
11.16%
Cinema Ticket
$6.38 CLP 5,931
$5.07 MX$95.9
25.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santiago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$429 CLP 398.8K
$200 MX$3,787
114.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,448 CLP 7.9M
$5,333 MX$100.8K
58.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santiago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 CLP 51.5K
$35.74 MX$676
54.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.36 CLP 31K
$39.8 MX$753
-16.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 CLP 70.2K
$79 MX$1,493
-4.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.1 CLP 78.2K
$88.4 MX$1,671
-4.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santiago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$503 CLP 467.6K
$965 MX$18.3K
-47.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$463 CLP 430.5K
$474 MX$8,968
-2.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$992 CLP 922.3K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-40.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$905 CLP 841.5K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-24.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,650 CLP 2.5M
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-14.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,549 CLP 3.3M
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-52.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santiago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$837 CLP 778.3K
$792 MX$15K
5.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.18
11.42
-54.64%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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