Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo Este and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo Este and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Santo Domingo Este is 19.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Santo Domingo Este is 12.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 38% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.58 DOP 515
$11.85 MX$209
-27.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.83 DOP 2,568
$42.16 MX$744
1.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.22 DOP 433
$10.75 MX$190
-32.84%
Cappuccino
$1.33 DOP 79.5
$3.47 MX$61.3
-61.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 DOP 58.8
$1.45 MX$25.65
-32.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 DOP 29.24
$0.90 MX$15.93
-45.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.61 DOP 157
$3.05 MX$53.9
-14.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.42 DOP 205
$4.42 MX$77.9
-22.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 DOP 76.7
$1.37 MX$24.17
-6.57%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 DOP 104
$1.87 MX$33.05
-7.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 DOP 94.3
$1.54 MX$27.25
1.95%
Eggs
$1.75 DOP 105
$2.50 MX$44.18
-30.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.09 DOP 425
$8.61 MX$152
-17.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.54 DOP 212
$8.63 MX$152
-58.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.88 DOP 413
$11.02 MX$195
-37.57%
Apples (1kg)
$3.34 DOP 200
$2.75 MX$48.53
21.45%
Banana (1kg)
$0.79 DOP 47.62
$1.43 MX$25.21
-44.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 DOP 118
$1.87 MX$33.05
5.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.39 DOP 83.5
$2.17 MX$38.26
-35.94%
Potato (1kg)
$0.94 DOP 56.4
$1.88 MX$33.23
-50.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.76 DOP 106
$2.25 MX$39.65
-21.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 DOP 68.1
$1.07 MX$18.85
6.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 DOP 54.3
$1.07 MX$18.95
-14.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.84 DOP 350
$4.15 MX$73.3
40.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.57 DOP 694
$10.34 MX$182
11.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 DOP 99.4
$1.68 MX$29.64
-1.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 DOP 139
$2.48 MX$43.84
-6.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.82 DOP 49.42
$0.55 MX$9.80
49.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.41 DOP 2,063
$26.53 MX$468
29.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.38 DOP 203
$3.22 MX$56.8
4.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 DOP 128
$2.48 MX$43.80
-13.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.86 DOP 351
$3.11 MX$54.9
88.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 DOP 73.7
$1.26 MX$22.16
-2.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.0K DOP 1.6M
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-15.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K DOP 1.9M
$24.0K MX$424.3K
31.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.88 DOP 2,391
$82.5 MX$1,456
-51.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.87 DOP 1,072
$22.29 MX$393
-19.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.62 DOP 2,195
$30.02 MX$530
21.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.98 DOP 1,678
$51.4 MX$908
-45.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.65 DOP 519
$18.29 MX$323
-52.71%
Cinema Ticket
$5.98 DOP 359
$4.98 MX$88.0
20.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$266 DOP 15.9K
$200 MX$3,530
32.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,953 DOP 356.9K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
12.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.58 DOP 2,553
$35.71 MX$630
19.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.9 DOP 3,112
$39.56 MX$698
31.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.4 DOP 3,922
$80.6 MX$1,422
-18.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.9 DOP 3,593
$88.3 MX$1,559
-32.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$451 DOP 27.0K
$969 MX$17.1K
-53.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$168 DOP 10.1K
$482 MX$8,511
-65.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,087 DOP 65.2K
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-31.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$473 DOP 28.3K
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-60.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$611 DOP 36.7K
$756 MX$13.4K
-19.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.9
11.42
12.96%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo Este: March 2, 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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