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

🙂 Solo nomad: Santos is 25.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 24.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Santos is 25.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 36.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.49 R$28.81
$11.85 MX$209
-53.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.33 R$144
$42.16 MX$744
-35.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.87 R$30.83
$10.75 MX$190
-45.40%
Cappuccino
$2.05 R$10.78
$3.47 MX$61.3
-40.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 R$6.55
$1.45 MX$25.65
-13.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 R$4.87
$0.90 MX$15.93
3.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.03 R$10.63
$3.05 MX$53.9
-33.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 R$13.92
$4.42 MX$77.9
-40.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.06 R$5.57
$1.37 MX$24.17
-22.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.61 R$8.48
$1.87 MX$33.05
-13.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 R$7.30
$1.54 MX$27.25
-9.74%
Eggs
$2.94 R$15.44
$2.50 MX$44.18
17.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.45 R$65.3
$8.61 MX$152
44.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.09 R$21.46
$8.63 MX$152
-52.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.72 R$45.76
$11.02 MX$195
-20.87%
Apples (1kg)
$1.60 R$8.40
$2.75 MX$48.53
-41.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.20 R$6.28
$1.43 MX$25.21
-16.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.15 R$11.27
$1.87 MX$33.05
14.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.81 R$9.53
$2.17 MX$38.26
-16.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 R$6.93
$1.88 MX$33.23
-29.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 R$6.70
$2.25 MX$39.65
-43.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 R$5.78
$1.07 MX$18.85
2.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R$6.86
$1.07 MX$18.95
22.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.17 R$11.40
$4.15 MX$73.3
-47.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.51 R$39.45
$10.34 MX$182
-27.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 R$7.16
$1.68 MX$29.64
-19.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 R$10.79
$2.48 MX$43.84
-16.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Santos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 R$5.02
$0.55 MX$9.80
74.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.49 R$239
$26.53 MX$468
71.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 R$6.67
$3.22 MX$56.8
-60.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.83 R$4.37
$2.48 MX$43.80
-66.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.43 R$75.8
$3.11 MX$54.9
363.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 R$5.64
$1.26 MX$22.16
-15.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K R$110.4K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-31.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.3K R$148.4K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
17.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 R$449
$82.5 MX$1,456
3.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.11 R$63.6
$22.29 MX$393
-45.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.42 R$112
$30.02 MX$530
-28.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.21 R$117
$51.4 MX$908
-56.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$48.40 R$254
$18.29 MX$323
164.63%
Cinema Ticket
$7.87 R$41.34
$4.98 MX$88.0
58.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$287 R$1,506
$200 MX$3,530
43.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,939 R$41.7K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
49.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.05 R$247
$35.71 MX$630
31.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.00 R$205
$39.56 MX$698
-1.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.6 R$413
$80.6 MX$1,422
-2.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.18 R$216
$88.3 MX$1,559
-53.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$410 R$2,153
$969 MX$17.1K
-57.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$331 R$1,740
$482 MX$8,511
-31.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$806 R$4,231
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-49.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$534 R$2,801
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-54.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,297 R$12.1K
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-43.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,594 R$8,371
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-75.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$571 R$2,999
$756 MX$13.4K
-24.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12
11.42
5.08%

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

Last update for Santos: February 28, 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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