Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: St. Thomas is 22.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 82.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: St. Thomas is 81.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 46.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
St. Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.9 CA$27.09
$11.99 MX$227
65.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.6 CA$98.8
$42.47 MX$803
70.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.44 CA$15.57
$10.47 MX$198
9.26%
Cappuccino
$3.48 CA$4.74
$3.6 MX$68.2
-3.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 CA$2.5
$1.44 MX$27.16
27.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.38
$0.89 MX$16.79
96.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.18 CA$7.06
$3.09 MX$58.5
67.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.93 CA$8.08
$4.58 MX$86.6
29.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
St. Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.03 CA$2.76
$1.38 MX$26.04
47.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.65
$1.85 MX$34.9
44.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.21 CA$4.37
$1.57 MX$29.68
104.46%
Eggs
$3.15 CA$4.28
$2.55 MX$48.3
23.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.52 CA$12.95
$8.61 MX$163
10.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.34 CA$15.43
$8.54 MX$161
32.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.77 CA$21.47
$10.98 MX$208
43.62%
Apples (1kg)
$4.12 CA$5.61
$2.72 MX$51.4
51.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.24 CA$1.69
$1.51 MX$28.57
-17.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.34 CA$4.55
$1.88 MX$35.63
77.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.83 CA$5.22
$2.19 MX$41.42
74.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.84 CA$3.86
$1.87 MX$35.3
51.87%
Onion (1kg)
$2.59 CA$3.53
$2.19 MX$41.37
18.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.31 CA$3.14
$1.07 MX$20.23
115.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 CA$1.96
$1.09 MX$20.64
32.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.83 CA$14.75
$3.96 MX$74.9
173.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.64 CA$14.48
$8.86 MX$167
20.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.14 CA$2.92
$1.72 MX$32.53
24.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 CA$3.38
$2.61 MX$49.37
-4.98%
🚌 Getting Around
St. Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.4 CA$3.27
$0.52 MX$9.74
361.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.7 CA$84
$26.59 MX$503
131.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.32 CA$3.16
$3.24 MX$61.2
-28.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.68 CA$2.29
$2.38 MX$44.94
-29.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.93 CA$42.11
$3.11 MX$58.7
894.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 CA$1.57
$1.31 MX$24.85
-11.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.4K CA$34.6K
$30.3K MX$573K
-16.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.6K CA$28K
$24K MX$453.6K
-14.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
St. Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 CA$183
$84.2 MX$1,592
59.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$53.4 CA$72.6
$22.14 MX$419
141.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.3 CA$79.3
$30.14 MX$570
93.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
St. Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.11 CA$57.3
$52 MX$983
-18.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.1 CA$15.11
$5.07 MX$95.9
118.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
St. Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$556 CA$757
$200 MX$3,787
177.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.9K CA$14.8K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
103.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
St. Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.3 CA$74
$35.74 MX$676
52.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.94 CA$53
$39.8 MX$753
-2.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.9 CA$117
$79 MX$1,493
8.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83 CA$113
$88.4 MX$1,671
-6.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
St. Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,189 CA$1,618
$965 MX$18.3K
23.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,189 CA$1,619
$474 MX$8,968
150.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 CA$2,709
$1,653 MX$31.2K
20.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,820 CA$2,477
$1,202 MX$22.7K
51.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,707 CA$7,768
$3,081 MX$58.3K
85.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,724 CA$5,069
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-50.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
St. Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,510 CA$3,417
$792 MX$15K
217.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
11.42
-42.64%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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