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

😐 Solo nomad: Santo Domingo is 1.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 14.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santo Domingo is 18.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santo Domingo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.53 DOP 509
$11.61 MX$200
-26.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.4 DOP 3,012
$42.75 MX$738
17.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.56 DOP 452
$10.60 MX$183
-28.68%
Cappuccino
$2.73 DOP 163
$3.59 MX$62.0
-23.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 DOP 59.6
$1.45 MX$25.08
-31.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 DOP 47.79
$0.90 MX$15.50
-11.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.58 DOP 154
$3.03 MX$52.4
-14.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.23 DOP 312
$4.56 MX$78.8
14.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santo Domingo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 DOP 83.2
$1.45 MX$25.07
-4.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.74 DOP 104
$1.83 MX$31.55
-4.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 DOP 93.1
$1.61 MX$27.77
-3.11%
Eggs
$2.20 DOP 131
$2.54 MX$43.82
-13.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.93 DOP 414
$8.54 MX$148
-18.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.17 DOP 369
$8.47 MX$146
-27.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.18 DOP 668
$10.86 MX$188
2.95%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 DOP 198
$2.73 MX$47.13
21.25%
Banana (1kg)
$0.92 DOP 55.1
$1.49 MX$25.77
-38.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.00 DOP 179
$1.94 MX$33.55
54.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 DOP 114
$2.16 MX$37.38
-11.57%
Potato (1kg)
$2.56 DOP 153
$1.85 MX$31.88
38.38%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 DOP 137
$2.19 MX$37.80
4.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 DOP 65.7
$1.07 MX$18.52
2.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 DOP 54.3
$1.08 MX$18.71
-15.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.79 DOP 346
$4.06 MX$70.1
42.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.26 DOP 673
$10.46 MX$181
7.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.76 DOP 165
$1.65 MX$28.56
67.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 DOP 189
$2.55 MX$44.01
24.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Santo Domingo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 DOP 33.66
$0.56 MX$9.60
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.7 DOP 3,984
$26.20 MX$453
154.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.32 DOP 198
$3.14 MX$54.2
5.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.19 DOP 131
$2.37 MX$40.96
-7.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.10 DOP 364
$3.24 MX$56.0
88.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 DOP 79.8
$1.31 MX$22.70
2.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.2K DOP 1.6M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-14.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.0K DOP 1.9M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
34.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santo Domingo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$74.8 DOP 4,470
$83.1 MX$1,436
-10.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.69 DOP 1,535
$22.15 MX$383
15.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.47 DOP 2,119
$29.37 MX$507
20.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santo Domingo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.09 DOP 2,156
$51.2 MX$884
-29.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.50 DOP 866
$18.69 MX$323
-22.42%
Cinema Ticket
$6.75 DOP 403
$4.89 MX$84.4
38.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santo Domingo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$272 DOP 16.3K
$199 MX$3,431
37.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,063 DOP 481.7K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
54.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santo Domingo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.0 DOP 3,645
$35.93 MX$621
69.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.5 DOP 3,136
$39.39 MX$680
33.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.4 DOP 5,641
$80.3 MX$1,387
17.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 DOP 6,811
$87.6 MX$1,512
30.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santo Domingo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$581 DOP 34.7K
$963 MX$16.6K
-39.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$285 DOP 17.0K
$482 MX$8,326
-40.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 DOP 71.7K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-27.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$668 DOP 39.9K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-43.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,194 DOP 131.1K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-44.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,164 DOP 69.5K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-82.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santo Domingo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$623 DOP 37.2K
$726 MX$12.5K
-14.28%
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: April 13, 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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