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 169.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 234.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: St Thomas is 271.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 217.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.34 $20.34
$11.61 MX$200
75.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$162 $162
$42.75 MX$738
278.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.82 $11.82
$10.60 MX$183
11.51%
Cappuccino
$6.99 $6.99
$3.59 MX$62.0
94.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 $4.11
$1.45 MX$25.08
183.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 $3.47
$0.90 MX$15.50
285.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.59 $6.59
$3.03 MX$52.4
117.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.91 $9.91
$4.56 MX$78.8
117.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.53 $2.53
$1.45 MX$25.07
74.48%
White Bread (500g)
$6.69 $6.69
$1.83 MX$31.55
265.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$18.47 $18.47
$1.61 MX$27.77
1047.20%
Eggs
$8.71 $8.71
$2.54 MX$43.82
242.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.34 $11.34
$8.54 MX$148
32.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$32.15 $32.15
$8.47 MX$146
279.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$40.46 $40.46
$10.86 MX$188
272.56%
Apples (1kg)
$12.23 $12.23
$2.73 MX$47.13
347.99%
Banana (1kg)
$11.01 $11.01
$1.49 MX$25.77
638.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$12.19 $12.19
$1.94 MX$33.55
528.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$20.19 $20.19
$2.16 MX$37.38
834.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 $1.86
$1.85 MX$31.88
0.54%
Onion (1kg)
$8.73 $8.73
$2.19 MX$37.80
298.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$7.94 $7.94
$1.07 MX$18.52
642.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$6.03 $6.03
$1.08 MX$18.71
458.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.06 MX$70.1
-
Wine (Bottle)
$24.88 $24.88
$10.46 MX$181
137.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.65 MX$28.56
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.98 $5.98
$2.55 MX$44.01
134.51%
🚌 Getting Around
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.98 $1.98
$0.56 MX$9.60
253.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.2 $60.2
$26.20 MX$453
129.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$19.77 $19.77
$3.14 MX$54.2
529.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.17 $3.17
$2.37 MX$40.96
33.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.24 MX$56.0
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 $1.28
$1.31 MX$22.70
-2.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$55.2K $55.2K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
80.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.0K $38.0K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
59.31%
🧾 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
$83.1 MX$1,436
359.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$98.7 $98.7
$22.15 MX$383
345.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$131 $131
$29.37 MX$507
347.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$125 $125
$51.2 MX$884
144.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.69 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.95 $11.95
$4.89 MX$84.4
144.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,486 $1,486
$199 MX$3,431
648.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.4K $22.4K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
330.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$115 $115
$35.93 MX$621
219.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$153 $153
$39.39 MX$680
287.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$197 $197
$80.3 MX$1,387
145.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 $148
$87.6 MX$1,512
68.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,439 $1,439
$963 MX$16.6K
49.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,791 $1,791
$482 MX$8,326
271.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,237 $3,237
$1,645 MX$28.4K
96.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,328 $4,328
$1,192 MX$20.6K
263.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,763 $4,763
$3,957 MX$68.3K
20.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.8K $10.8K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
66.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
St Thomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,714 $2,714
$726 MX$12.5K
273.72%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities