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 167.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 237.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: St Thomas is 168.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 221.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.90 $19.90
$11.85 MX$205
67.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$163 $163
$42.16 MX$730
285.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.02 $12.02
$10.75 MX$186
11.81%
Cappuccino
$6.89 $6.89
$3.47 MX$60.2
98.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 $3.96
$1.45 MX$25.17
173.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 $3.41
$0.90 MX$15.64
278.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.34 $6.34
$3.05 MX$52.9
107.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.90 $9.90
$4.42 MX$76.5
123.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.56 $2.56
$1.37 MX$23.72
86.86%
White Bread (500g)
$6.62 $6.62
$1.87 MX$32.43
254.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$18.42 $18.42
$1.54 MX$26.74
1096.10%
Eggs
$9.03 $9.03
$2.50 MX$43.36
261.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.43 $11.43
$8.61 MX$149
32.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$31.82 $31.82
$8.63 MX$150
268.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$39.03 $39.03
$11.02 MX$191
254.17%
Apples (1kg)
$12.00 $12.00
$2.75 MX$47.62
336.36%
Banana (1kg)
$11.15 $11.15
$1.43 MX$24.73
679.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$12.09 $12.09
$1.87 MX$32.44
546.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$19.87 $19.87
$2.17 MX$37.54
815.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 $1.85
$1.88 MX$32.61
-1.60%
Onion (1kg)
$8.76 $8.76
$2.25 MX$38.91
289.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$8.18 $8.18
$1.07 MX$18.49
664.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$6.08 $6.08
$1.07 MX$18.59
468.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.15 MX$72.0
-
Wine (Bottle)
$24.97 $24.97
$10.34 MX$179
141.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.68 MX$29.08
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.89 $5.89
$2.48 MX$43.02
137.50%
🚌 Getting Around
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 $2.05
$0.55 MX$9.61
272.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.3 $60.3
$26.53 MX$459
127.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$19.65 $19.65
$3.22 MX$55.7
510.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.16 $3.16
$2.48 MX$42.98
27.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.11 MX$53.9
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 $1.34
$1.26 MX$21.75
6.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$55.1K $55.1K
$30.7K MX$531.0K
79.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.1K $39.1K
$24.0K MX$416.4K
62.53%
🧾 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
$82.5 MX$1,429
363.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$101 $101
$22.29 MX$386
354.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$132 $132
$30.02 MX$520
339.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$125 $125
$51.4 MX$891
143.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$317
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.08 $12.08
$4.98 MX$86.3
142.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,526 $1,526
$200 MX$3,464
663.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.4K $22.4K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
322.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$117 $117
$35.71 MX$618
228.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$151 $151
$39.56 MX$685
282.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$197 $197
$80.6 MX$1,395
144.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 $148
$88.3 MX$1,530
67.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,462 $1,462
$969 MX$16.8K
50.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,824 $1,824
$482 MX$8,352
278.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,262 $3,262
$1,595 MX$27.6K
104.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,234 $4,234
$1,184 MX$20.5K
257.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,858 $4,858
$4,050 MX$70.1K
19.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.6K $10.6K
$6,522 MX$113.0K
61.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,722 $2,722
$756 MX$13.1K
259.81%
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: March 1, 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

Similar cities