Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Thomas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $4,408 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $38,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

213

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index
59

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

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St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,408

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,408 per month in St Thomas vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

St Thomas $4,408
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $7,220 per month in St Thomas vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

St Thomas $7,220
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $10.0K per month in St Thomas vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

St Thomas $10.0K
Playa del Carmen $3,016

St Thomas costs about 264% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

St Thomas sits 227% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 $22.30

$10.76 MX$199

107.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$170 $170

$43.03 MX$795

295.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 $13.55

$11.79 MX$218

14.93%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.87 MX$71.4

52.45%

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

$3.95 $3.95

$1.37 MX$25.29

188.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$0.84 MX$15.44

303.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.10 MX$57.3

65.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$5.07 MX$93.6

34.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.44 MX$26.55

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$6.67 $6.67

$2.23 MX$41.23

199.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$18.54 $18.54

$1.47 MX$27.17

1161.22%

Eggs

$8.87 $8.87

$2.53 MX$46.71

250.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$7.30 MX$135

52.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.44 $28.44

$7.86 MX$145

261.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.72 $39.72

$12.79 MX$236

210.56%

Apples (1kg)

$11.91 $11.91

$2.90 MX$53.6

310.69%

Banana (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$1.44 MX$26.53

656.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$2.55 MX$47.07

382.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$19.99 $19.99

$2.06 MX$38.03

870.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.00 MX$36.97

-2.50%

Onion (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$2.01 MX$37.07

335.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$8.18 $8.18

$1.19 MX$22.02

587.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.26 MX$23.23

327.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

Wine (Bottle)

$24.57 $24.57

$9.59 MX$177

156.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.81 MX$51.9

119.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.57 MX$10.47

247.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$27.82 MX$514

118.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$4.98 MX$92.1

293.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.50 MX$64.6

-12.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.47 MX$27.08

-5.44%

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

$55.2K $55.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

162.95%

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

$49.0K $49.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

104.91%

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

$451 $451

$84.2 MX$1,556

435.27%

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

$100 $100

$23.99 MX$443

318.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$151 $151

$29.02 MX$536

421.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$164 $164

$63.0 MX$1,164

160.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 $10.04

$4.94 MX$91.3

103.24%

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

$1,487 $1,487

$204 MX$3,763

630.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K $21.9K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

454.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 $113

$43.60 MX$806

159.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$148 $148

$43.12 MX$797

242.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$202 $202

$75.8 MX$1,400

166.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$88.6 MX$1,637

70.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 $1,586

$1,008 MX$18.6K

57.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 $1,827

$374 MX$6,911

388.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,187 $3,187

$1,708 MX$31.6K

86.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,229 $4,229

$1,106 MX$20.4K

282.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,896 $4,896

$3,944 MX$72.9K

24.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

76.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,726 $2,726

$754 MX$13.9K

261.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.45

-17.47%

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

Last update for St Thomas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St Thomas

$1.8K 41.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 79.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

St Thomas

$956 * 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 73% $698

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Thomas

$702 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 80.5% $565

Eating Out

St Thomas

$358 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 43.6% $156

Clothing & Footwear

St Thomas

$276 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 59.1% $163

Sport & Entertainment

St Thomas

$184 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 60.4% $111

Getting Around

St Thomas

$104 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 49.3% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,586 in St Thomas versus $1,008 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 261% higher in St Thomas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $170 in St Thomas versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $956 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

00:05 12:05 AM

1 h behind St Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

St Thomas Playa del Carmen 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – St Thomas is pricier by about 264%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,612 per month in St Thomas and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,408 in St Thomas and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 264%.

Public transport costs about 118% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in St Thomas at $4,408. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in St Thomas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, St Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.