Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sayulita and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sayulita: $1,135 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Sayulita
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Sayulita Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Sayulita

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sayulita and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sayulita and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,135 per month in Sayulita vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sayulita $1,135
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,806 per month in Sayulita vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sayulita $1,806
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,476 per month in Sayulita vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sayulita $2,476
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Sayulita is about 6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sayulita and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sayulita 16% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 MX$195

$10.67 MX$200

-2.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.43 MX$741

$43.80 MX$823

-9.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 MX$153

$11.79 MX$221

-31.04%

Cappuccino

$3.26 MX$61.1

$3.79 MX$71.1

-13.98%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 MX$24.20

$1.30 MX$24.36

-0.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$17.18

$0.83 MX$15.65

9.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MX$40.38

$3.15 MX$59.1

-31.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 MX$74.9

$4.93 MX$92.7

-19.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.89

$1.41 MX$26.46

1.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$49.48

$2.20 MX$41.23

19.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.63

$1.47 MX$27.66

10.88%

Eggs

$2.34 MX$43.92

$2.50 MX$46.89

-6.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 MX$155

$7.29 MX$137

12.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$150

$7.95 MX$149

0.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 MX$200

$12.86 MX$242

-17.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$49.09

$2.90 MX$54.4

-10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$26.23

$1.38 MX$25.98

1.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.42

$2.49 MX$46.78

-28.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.81

$2.03 MX$38.12

-16.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.77

$2.02 MX$38.03

-8.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.90 MX$35.74

2.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 MX$22.89

$1.14 MX$21.49

7.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.33

$1.24 MX$23.27

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MX$78.3

$4.27 MX$80.2

-2.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 MX$205

$9.81 MX$184

11.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$30.17

$1.59 MX$29.78

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 MX$53.9

$2.75 MX$51.6

4.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$12.35

$0.51 MX$9.67

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.75 MX$578

$27.39 MX$514

12.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.93

$4.76 MX$89.4

-44.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 MX$30.19

$3.25 MX$61.0

-50.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 MX$152

$5.39 MX$101

49.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$23.77

$1.53 MX$28.70

-16.99%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.0K MX$394.8K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

-0.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.0K MX$414.0K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

-5.23%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$56.7 MX$1,065

$83.5 MX$1,568

-32.09%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.35 MX$420

$23.19 MX$435

-3.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.37 MX$533

$27.61 MX$519

2.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.51 MX$686

$56.4 MX$1,060

-35.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.17 MX$304

$28.19 MX$529

-42.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 MX$85.0

$5.00 MX$93.9

-9.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,897

$207 MX$3,889

0.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,622 MX$68.0K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

-30.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 MX$988

$43.45 MX$816

21.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.96 MX$732

$42.54 MX$799

-8.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 MX$1,730

$72.8 MX$1,367

26.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 MX$1,476

$88.4 MX$1,660

-11.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 MX$9,637

$995 MX$18.7K

-48.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 MX$7,414

$382 MX$7,181

3.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 MX$17.7K

$1,674 MX$31.4K

-43.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 MX$14.3K

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-29.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,781 MX$33.4K

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-54.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,154 MX$21.7K

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-81.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

11.45

0.26%

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

Last update for Sayulita: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Sayulita

$395 34.8%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 3.1% $12

Groceries & Markets

Sayulita

$252 22.2%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 2.3% $5.8

Eating Out

Sayulita

$174 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 15.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Sayulita

$118 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 5.8% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sayulita

$107 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 25% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sayulita

$46 4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 45.8% $21

Getting Around

Sayulita

$44 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 14.5% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $513 in Sayulita versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Sayulita versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $257 – making Sayulita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Sayulita

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

10:05 10:05 AM

1 h ahead of Sayulita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sayulita Playa del Carmen 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sayulita
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Sayulita vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,703 per month in Sayulita and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sayulita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $513 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,135 in Sayulita and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Sayulita about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Sayulita and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,135 in Sayulita and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sayulita costs $1,135 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.