Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Simpson Bay and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,879 in Simpson Bay, rent and utilities included – about $32,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Simpson Bay

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,879

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Simpson Bay 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 Simpson Bay and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,879 per month in Simpson Bay vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Simpson Bay $3,879
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $6,586 per month in Simpson Bay vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Simpson Bay $6,586
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $9,293 per month in Simpson Bay vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Simpson Bay $9,293
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Simpson Bay costs about 220% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Simpson Bay sits 187% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 ANG 34.54

$10.76 MX$199

79.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 ANG 236

$43.03 MX$795

205.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 ANG 23.44

$11.79 MX$218

11.11%

Cappuccino

$4.45 ANG 7.96

$3.87 MX$71.4

14.99%

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

$2.96 ANG 5.29

$1.37 MX$25.29

116.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ANG 5.23

$0.84 MX$15.44

247.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 ANG 9.76

$3.10 MX$57.3

75.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 ANG 7.37

$5.07 MX$93.6

-18.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.09 ANG 7.32

$1.44 MX$26.55

184.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 ANG 4.92

$2.23 MX$41.23

23.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 ANG 5.25

$1.47 MX$27.17

99.32%

Eggs

$4.50 ANG 8.06

$2.53 MX$46.71

77.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.59 ANG 44.02

$7.30 MX$135

236.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.46 ANG 24.10

$7.86 MX$145

71.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ANG 30.80

$12.79 MX$236

34.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 ANG 7.65

$2.90 MX$53.6

47.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.51 ANG 6.29

$1.44 MX$26.53

143.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.55 ANG 11.72

$2.55 MX$47.07

156.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 ANG 9.08

$2.06 MX$38.03

146.12%

Potato (1kg)

$4.02 ANG 7.20

$2.00 MX$36.97

101.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 ANG 6.29

$2.01 MX$37.07

74.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ANG 5.23

$1.19 MX$22.02

145.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ANG 2.58

$1.26 MX$23.23

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 ANG 26.62

$9.59 MX$177

55.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ANG 3.05

$2.81 MX$51.9

-39.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 ANG 5.45

$0.57 MX$10.47

435.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.20 ANG 27.21

$4.98 MX$92.1

205.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ANG 2.34

$1.47 MX$27.08

-10.88%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$506 ANG 906

$84.2 MX$1,556

501.00%

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

$34.60 ANG 61.9

$23.99 MX$443

44.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.9 ANG 159

$29.02 MX$536

206.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.5 ANG 135

$63.0 MX$1,164

19.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.97 ANG 14.27

$4.94 MX$91.3

61.34%

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

$753 ANG 1,348

$204 MX$3,763

269.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ANG 21.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

202.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.79 ANG 89.1

$43.60 MX$806

14.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 ANG 70.3

$43.12 MX$797

-8.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ANG 181

$75.8 MX$1,400

33.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ANG 107

$88.6 MX$1,637

-32.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,321 ANG 4,155

$1,008 MX$18.6K

130.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 ANG 4,020

$374 MX$6,911

500.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,924 ANG 10.6K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

246.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,759 ANG 10.3K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

420.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Simpson Bay: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Simpson Bay

–

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Groceries & Markets

Simpson Bay

–

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Eating Out

Simpson Bay

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Simpson Bay

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Simpson Bay

–

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Simpson Bay

–

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Getting Around

Simpson Bay

–

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,321 in Simpson Bay versus $1,008 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 $132 in Simpson Bay versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $466 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇽 Simpson Bay

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

18:08 6:08 PM

1 h behind Simpson Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

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Between locations

Simpson Bay Playa del Carmen 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Simpson Bay
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

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

Yes – Simpson Bay is pricier by about 220%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,818 per month in Simpson Bay and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,879 in Simpson Bay and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 220%.

Kindergarten costs $753 per month in Simpson Bay and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Simpson Bay at $3,879. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Simpson Bay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Simpson Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.