Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springs and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Springs: $979 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Springs
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Springs Living Index
58

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

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Springs

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $979 per month in Springs vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springs $979
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,582 per month in Springs vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springs $1,582
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,184 per month in Springs vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springs $2,184
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Springs is about 19% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Springs and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Springs 28% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.15 R 152

$10.92 MX$203

-16.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.40 R 588

$43.37 MX$808

-18.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 R 86.0

$11.78 MX$219

-56.03%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R 36.44

$3.81 MX$71.0

-42.52%

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

$0.96 R 15.89

$1.28 MX$23.89

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 R 11.05

$0.78 MX$14.58

-14.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R 30.78

$3.17 MX$59.0

-41.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.43

$4.93 MX$91.9

-56.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R 19.26

$1.41 MX$26.20

-17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 R 17.50

$2.22 MX$41.30

-52.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.45

$1.42 MX$26.40

24.65%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.97

$2.52 MX$47.00

-4.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$7.26 MX$135

16.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 83.0

$7.70 MX$143

-35.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.25 R 120

$12.69 MX$236

-42.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 R 21.29

$2.78 MX$51.9

-53.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.94

$1.37 MX$25.49

-21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.40

$2.55 MX$47.52

-32.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.87

$2.12 MX$39.55

-43.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 R 17.60

$1.94 MX$36.11

-45.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R 19.37

$1.89 MX$35.13

-38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.18

$1.15 MX$21.36

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 R 12.26

$1.18 MX$21.96

-37.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R 51.8

$4.30 MX$80.0

-27.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 R 66.9

$9.95 MX$185

-59.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 R 18.58

$1.58 MX$29.50

-29.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 R 28.39

$2.67 MX$49.76

-35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.80

$4.97 MX$92.6

-94.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R 13.37

$3.33 MX$62.1

-75.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.37 R 239

$5.36 MX$99.8

168.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.56

$1.44 MX$26.90

2.78%

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

$35.6K R 591.4K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

72.30%

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

$32.7K R 543.5K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

39.43%

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

$148 R 2,460

$84.8 MX$1,580

74.67%

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

$37.52 R 623

$23.41 MX$436

60.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.28 R 586

$28.66 MX$534

23.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.37 R 654

$57.1 MX$1,063

-30.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R 121

$5.14 MX$95.7

42.22%

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

$89.2 R 1,481

$207 MX$3,848

-56.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,794 R 29.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-54.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 R 898

$43.35 MX$808

24.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.78 R 528

$41.44 MX$772

-23.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 R 1,521

$74.2 MX$1,382

23.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.0 R 1,363

$89.3 MX$1,663

-8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$284 R 4,721

$980 MX$18.2K

-70.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 R 4,571

$381 MX$7,095

-27.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 R 11.8K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-58.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 R 11.5K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-35.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,481 R 24.6K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-62.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$692 R 11.5K

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-88.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,145 R 19.0K

$735 MX$13.7K

55.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.75

11.45

-6.11%

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

Last update for Springs: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Springs

$275 28.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 38.4% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springs

$221 22.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 38% $84

Groceries & Markets

Springs

$173 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 47.4% $82

Eating Out

Springs

$135 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 49.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Springs

$117 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4.3% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Springs

$54 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 24.7% $13

Getting Around

Springs

$4.3 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1071% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $284 in Springs versus $980 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.

Salaries run about 56% higher in Springs, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Springs versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $255 – making Springs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Springs

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

00:52 12:52 AM

7 h behind Springs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,996

149,923

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Springs Playa del Carmen 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Springs
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,469 per month in Springs and $1,806 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 Springs, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $284 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $979 in Springs and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Springs about 19% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $89 per month in Springs and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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