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 42.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 79.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Southern Cross is 13.6% 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
$18.19 A$26.01
$11.85 MX$212
53.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.6 A$81.0
$42.16 MX$755
34.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.77 A$13.98
$10.75 MX$192
-9.12%
Cappuccino
$3.28 A$4.70
$3.47 MX$62.2
-5.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 A$3.17
$1.45 MX$26.01
53.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 A$2.28
$0.90 MX$16.16
77.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.61 A$9.46
$3.05 MX$54.7
116.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.89 A$11.29
$4.42 MX$79.1
78.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 A$2.13
$1.37 MX$24.51
8.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.42 A$3.46
$1.87 MX$33.51
29.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 A$2.77
$1.54 MX$27.63
25.32%
Eggs
$2.56 A$3.66
$2.50 MX$44.81
2.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.67 A$12.40
$8.61 MX$154
0.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.51 A$12.17
$8.63 MX$155
-1.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.70 A$19.59
$11.02 MX$197
24.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 A$4.74
$2.75 MX$49.22
20.36%
Banana (1kg)
$2.81 A$4.01
$1.43 MX$25.56
96.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.00 A$4.29
$1.87 MX$33.52
60.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.19 A$5.99
$2.17 MX$38.80
93.09%
Potato (1kg)
$2.49 A$3.56
$1.88 MX$33.70
32.45%
Onion (1kg)
$2.09 A$3.00
$2.25 MX$40.21
-7.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.18 A$3.12
$1.07 MX$19.11
103.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 A$2.25
$1.07 MX$19.22
46.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.40 A$46.33
$4.15 MX$74.4
680.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.19 A$20.30
$10.34 MX$185
37.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.63 A$6.63
$1.68 MX$30.06
175.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.20 A$7.44
$2.48 MX$44.46
109.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.58 A$3.69
$0.55 MX$9.93
369.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.6 A$92.3
$26.53 MX$475
143.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.52 A$5.03
$3.22 MX$57.6
9.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 A$2.20
$2.48 MX$44.42
-37.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.18 A$47.45
$3.11 MX$55.7
966.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 A$1.62
$1.26 MX$22.48
-10.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K A$41.5K
$30.7K MX$548.8K
-5.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K A$32.0K
$24.0K MX$430.3K
-6.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 A$263
$82.5 MX$1,476
123.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.82 A$39.78
$22.29 MX$399
24.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.0 A$74.4
$30.02 MX$537
73.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.84 A$68.4
$51.4 MX$921
-7.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.92 A$22.76
$18.29 MX$327
-12.96%
Cinema Ticket
$12.98 A$18.56
$4.98 MX$89.2
160.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,637 A$2,341
$200 MX$3,580
718.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$17.3K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
128.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 A$97.5
$35.71 MX$639
90.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.3 A$71.9
$39.56 MX$708
27.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.2 A$140
$80.6 MX$1,442
21.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 A$156
$88.3 MX$1,581
23.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,285 A$1,838
$969 MX$17.4K
32.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,058 A$1,513
$482 MX$8,632
119.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,984 A$2,837
$1,595 MX$28.6K
24.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 A$2,394
$1,184 MX$21.2K
41.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,391 A$7,709
$4,050 MX$72.5K
33.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,534 A$6,484
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-30.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Southern Cross
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,067 A$10.1K
$756 MX$13.5K
834.30%
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: March 2, 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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