Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. George, UT and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,620 in St. George, UT, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

St. George, UT, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
St. George, UT
🇺🇸 United States
$2,620
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,620 per month in St. George, UT vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • St. George, UT $2,620
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,835 per month in St. George, UT vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • St. George, UT $3,835
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,049 per month in St. George, UT vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • St. George, UT $5,049
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

St. George, UT costs about 118% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

St. George, UT sits 93% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
St. George, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.95 $18.95
$10.92 MX$204
73.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.0 $75.0
$43.37 MX$808
72.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.97 $10.97
$11.78 MX$220
-6.88%
Cappuccino
$5.05 $5.05
$3.81 MX$71.0
32.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 $2.49
$1.28 MX$23.90
94.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 $1.97
$0.78 MX$14.59
152.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.07 $6.07
$3.17 MX$59.0
91.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 $7.09
$4.93 MX$92.0
43.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
St. George, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.41 MX$26.22
-28.37%
White Bread (500g)
$3.53 $3.53
$2.22 MX$41.33
59.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.36 $4.36
$1.42 MX$26.42
207.04%
Eggs
$4.13 $4.13
$2.52 MX$47.03
63.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.49 $12.49
$7.26 MX$135
72.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.23 $11.23
$7.70 MX$143
45.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.48 $15.48
$12.69 MX$237
21.99%
Apples (1kg)
$5.00 $5.00
$2.78 MX$51.9
79.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.58 $1.58
$1.37 MX$25.50
15.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.26 $4.26
$2.55 MX$47.55
67.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.83 $4.83
$2.12 MX$39.58
127.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.86 $2.86
$1.94 MX$36.13
47.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.76 $2.76
$1.89 MX$35.16
46.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.15 MX$21.37
74.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.18 MX$21.98
83.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.82 $9.82
$4.30 MX$80.1
128.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.95 $13.95
$9.95 MX$185
40.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 $1.79
$1.58 MX$29.52
13.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 $3.31
$2.67 MX$49.79
23.97%
🚌 Getting Around
St. George, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.95 $1.95
$0.55 MX$10.31
254.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 $67.4
$26.62 MX$496
153.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.57 $3.57
$4.97 MX$92.6
-28.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 $1.63
$3.33 MX$62.1
-51.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.82 $28.82
$5.36 MX$99.8
437.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.90 $0.90
$1.44 MX$26.92
-37.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.5K $29.5K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
42.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K $25.6K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
9.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
St. George, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$189 $189
$84.8 MX$1,581
123.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$53.8 $53.8
$23.41 MX$436
129.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.8 $67.8
$28.66 MX$534
136.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
St. George, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.45 $42.45
$57.1 MX$1,063
-25.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.58 $13.58
$5.14 MX$95.8
164.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
St. George, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,298 $1,298
$207 MX$3,851
528.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.7K $23.7K
$3,927 MX$73.2K
503.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
St. George, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.2 $51.2
$43.35 MX$808
18.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.37 $40.37
$41.44 MX$772
-2.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.9 $86.9
$74.2 MX$1,383
17.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 $110
$89.3 MX$1,664
22.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
St. George, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,596 $1,596
$980 MX$18.3K
62.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,329 $1,329
$381 MX$7,099
248.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 $2,670
$1,708 MX$31.8K
56.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,197 $2,197
$1,075 MX$20.0K
104.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,741 $2,741
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-30.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,463 $2,463
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-60.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
St. George, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.51
11.45
-43.14%

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

Last update for St. George, UT: October 24, 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
St. George, UT
$1.3K
Playa del Carmen
$381 71.3% $948
Groceries & Markets
St. George, UT
$387
Playa del Carmen
$255 34.1% $132
Monthly Utilities & Internet
St. George, UT
$311
Playa del Carmen
$137 56% $174
Eating Out
St. George, UT
$307
Playa del Carmen
$202 34.2% $105
Clothing & Footwear
St. George, UT
$130
Playa del Carmen
$112 13.9% $18
Getting Around
St. George, UT
$87
Playa del Carmen
$50 42% $36
Sport & Entertainment
St. George, UT
$70
Playa del Carmen
$67 3.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,596 in St. George, UT 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in St. George, UT versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 St. George, UT
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
08:59 8:59 AM
09:59 9:59 AM
1 h ahead of St. George, UT
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
95,342
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • St. George, UT Playa del Carmen 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • St. George, UT
  • 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
St. George, UT vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than St. George, UT?
Yes – St. George, UT is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,930 per month in St. George, UT and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,596 in St. George, UT.
What are total monthly expenses in St. George, UT and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,620 in St. George, UT and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 118%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 61% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in St. George, UT or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in St. George, UT at $2,620. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. George, UT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is St. George, UT or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 118% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

St. George, UT vs other spots: cost of living compared

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