Cost of Living Comparison Between Southern Cross and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Southern Cross and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Southern Cross is 11.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 77% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Southern Cross is 46.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 40.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.16 A$27.82
$11.99 MX$227
51.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.8 A$88.6
$42.47 MX$803
36.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.92 A$15.19
$10.47 MX$198
-5.25%
Cappuccino
$3.18 A$4.88
$3.6 MX$68.2
-11.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 A$3.42
$1.44 MX$27.16
54.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 A$2.53
$0.89 MX$16.79
85.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.52 A$9.98
$3.09 MX$58.5
111.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.59 A$11.63
$4.58 MX$86.6
65.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 A$2.25
$1.38 MX$26.04
6.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.32 A$3.56
$1.85 MX$34.9
25.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 A$3.11
$1.57 MX$29.68
29.30%
Eggs
$2.64 A$4.05
$2.55 MX$48.3
3.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.55 A$13.1
$8.61 MX$163
-0.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.59 A$13.16
$8.54 MX$161
0.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.43 A$20.57
$10.98 MX$208
22.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.28 A$5.02
$2.72 MX$51.4
20.59%
Banana (1kg)
$2.83 A$4.33
$1.51 MX$28.57
87.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 A$4.41
$1.88 MX$35.63
53.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.09 A$6.27
$2.19 MX$41.42
86.76%
Potato (1kg)
$2.42 A$3.71
$1.87 MX$35.3
29.41%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 A$3.3
$2.19 MX$41.37
-1.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.11 A$3.23
$1.07 MX$20.23
97.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 A$2.42
$1.09 MX$20.64
44.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$33.03 A$50.6
$3.96 MX$74.9
734.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 A$19.96
$8.86 MX$167
47.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.48 A$6.87
$1.72 MX$32.53
160.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.41 A$8.29
$2.61 MX$49.37
107.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.56 A$3.92
$0.52 MX$9.74
392.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.1 A$98.2
$26.59 MX$503
141.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.63 A$5.55
$3.24 MX$61.2
12.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 A$2.36
$2.38 MX$44.94
-35.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.7 A$51.6
$3.11 MX$58.7
983.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 A$1.81
$1.31 MX$24.85
-9.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K A$43.8K
$30.3K MX$573K
-5.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K A$34.3K
$24K MX$453.6K
-6.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 A$276
$84.2 MX$1,592
113.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.49 A$42.12
$22.14 MX$419
24.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.5 A$82
$30.14 MX$570
77.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.95 A$73.5
$52 MX$983
-7.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.82 A$24.24
$18.72 MX$354
-15.49%
Cinema Ticket
$12.85 A$19.69
$5.07 MX$95.9
153.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,630 A$2,497
$200 MX$3,787
713.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K A$18.8K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
129.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68 A$104
$35.74 MX$676
90.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.5 A$78.9
$39.8 MX$753
29.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 A$155
$79 MX$1,493
27.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 A$165
$88.4 MX$1,671
22.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,265 A$1,938
$965 MX$18.3K
31.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,059 A$1,622
$474 MX$8,968
123.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,989 A$3,048
$1,653 MX$31.2K
20.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,670 A$2,558
$1,202 MX$22.7K
38.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,010 A$9,208
$3,081 MX$58.3K
95.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,301 A$8,122
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-29.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,672 A$10.2K
$792 MX$15K
742.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.25
11.42
-45.27%

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

Last update for Southern Cross: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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