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 118.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 245.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: St Thomas is 279.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 217.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.88 $19.88
$11.99 MX$227
65.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$162 $162
$42.47 MX$803
281.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.13 $12.13
$10.47 MX$198
15.85%
Cappuccino
$7.06 $7.06
$3.6 MX$68.2
96.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 $3.88
$1.44 MX$27.16
169.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 $3.31
$0.89 MX$16.79
271.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.67 $6.67
$3.09 MX$58.5
115.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.85 $9.85
$4.58 MX$86.6
115.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 $2.44
$1.38 MX$26.04
76.81%
White Bread (500g)
$6.57 $6.57
$1.85 MX$34.9
255.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$18.9 $18.9
$1.57 MX$29.68
1103.82%
Eggs
$9 $9
$2.55 MX$48.3
252.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 $11.33
$8.61 MX$163
31.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$32.23 $32.23
$8.54 MX$161
277.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$39.25 $39.25
$10.98 MX$208
257.47%
Apples (1kg)
$12.27 $12.27
$2.72 MX$51.4
351.10%
Banana (1kg)
$11.05 $11.05
$1.51 MX$28.57
631.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$12.06 $12.06
$1.88 MX$35.63
541.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$19.53 $19.53
$2.19 MX$41.42
791.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 $1.87
$1.87 MX$35.3
-
Onion (1kg)
$8.65 $8.65
$2.19 MX$41.37
294.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$7.79 $7.79
$1.07 MX$20.23
628.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$5.96 $5.96
$1.09 MX$20.64
446.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$3.96 MX$74.9
-
Wine (Bottle)
$24.56 $24.56
$8.86 MX$167
177.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.72 MX$32.53
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.16 $6.16
$2.61 MX$49.37
136.02%
🚌 Getting Around
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.06 $2.06
$0.52 MX$9.74
296.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.9 $59.9
$26.59 MX$503
125.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$20.35 $20.35
$3.24 MX$61.2
528.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.13 $3.13
$2.38 MX$44.94
31.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.11 MX$58.7
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 $1.29
$1.31 MX$24.85
-1.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$55.9K $55.9K
$30.3K MX$573K
84.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.9K $37.9K
$24K MX$453.6K
58.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$382 $382
$84.2 MX$1,592
353.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$101 $101
$22.14 MX$419
355.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$129 $129
$30.14 MX$570
328.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$123 $123
$52 MX$983
136.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.06 $12.06
$5.07 MX$95.9
137.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,519 $1,519
$200 MX$3,787
658.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.8K $21.8K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
309.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 $114
$35.74 MX$676
219.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$152 $152
$39.8 MX$753
282.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$198 $198
$79 MX$1,493
150.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$152 $152
$88.4 MX$1,671
71.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 $1,446
$965 MX$18.3K
49.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,822 $1,822
$474 MX$8,968
284.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,308 $3,308
$1,653 MX$31.2K
100.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,322 $4,322
$1,202 MX$22.7K
259.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,889 $4,889
$3,081 MX$58.3K
58.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.6K $10.6K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
40.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,375 $2,375
$792 MX$15K
199.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.45
11.42
-17.25%

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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