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 21.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Santo Domingo Este is 9.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 36.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.25 DOP 493
$11.61 MX$200
-28.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.29 DOP 2,586
$42.75 MX$738
1.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.33 DOP 438
$10.60 MX$183
-30.85%
Cappuccino
$1.28 DOP 76.2
$3.59 MX$62.0
-64.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 DOP 61.5
$1.45 MX$25.08
-28.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 DOP 31.97
$0.90 MX$15.50
-40.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.50 DOP 150
$3.03 MX$52.4
-17.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 DOP 198
$4.56 MX$78.8
-27.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 DOP 76.9
$1.45 MX$25.07
-11.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.74 DOP 104
$1.83 MX$31.55
-4.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 DOP 89.7
$1.61 MX$27.77
-6.83%
Eggs
$1.69 DOP 101
$2.54 MX$43.82
-33.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.04 DOP 421
$8.54 MX$148
-17.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.47 DOP 207
$8.47 MX$146
-59.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.69 DOP 399
$10.86 MX$188
-38.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.29 DOP 197
$2.73 MX$47.13
20.51%
Banana (1kg)
$0.75 DOP 44.71
$1.49 MX$25.77
-49.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.91 DOP 114
$1.94 MX$33.55
-1.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.34 DOP 80.2
$2.16 MX$37.38
-37.96%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 DOP 51.7
$1.85 MX$31.88
-53.51%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 DOP 104
$2.19 MX$37.80
-20.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 DOP 64.5
$1.07 MX$18.52
0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 DOP 55.4
$1.08 MX$18.71
-13.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.64 DOP 337
$4.06 MX$70.1
38.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.57 DOP 691
$10.46 MX$181
10.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 DOP 99.1
$1.65 MX$28.56
0.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 DOP 139
$2.55 MX$44.01
-9.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.82 DOP 48.71
$0.56 MX$9.60
46.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.05 DOP 2,034
$26.20 MX$453
29.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.46 DOP 207
$3.14 MX$54.2
10.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.19 DOP 131
$2.37 MX$40.96
-7.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 DOP 357
$3.24 MX$56.0
84.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 DOP 76.7
$1.31 MX$22.70
-2.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.4K DOP 1.6M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-13.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.4K DOP 1.9M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
31.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.57 DOP 2,364
$83.1 MX$1,436
-52.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.81 DOP 1,064
$22.15 MX$383
-19.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.54 DOP 2,123
$29.37 MX$507
21.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.83 DOP 1,662
$51.2 MX$884
-45.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.48 DOP 506
$18.69 MX$323
-54.63%
Cinema Ticket
$5.88 DOP 352
$4.89 MX$84.4
20.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$265 DOP 15.8K
$199 MX$3,431
33.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,969 DOP 356.6K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
14.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.00 DOP 2,509
$35.93 MX$621
16.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.3 DOP 3,066
$39.39 MX$680
30.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$66.0 DOP 3,944
$80.3 MX$1,387
-17.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.4 DOP 3,609
$87.6 MX$1,512
-31.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$459 DOP 27.4K
$963 MX$16.6K
-52.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$169 DOP 10.1K
$482 MX$8,326
-64.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,089 DOP 65.1K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-33.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$477 DOP 28.5K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-59.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santo Domingo Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$612 DOP 36.6K
$726 MX$12.5K
-15.76%
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: 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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