Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Sterling is 69.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 109.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sterling is 47.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 68.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$11.85 MX$212

68.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 $84.4

$42.16 MX$755

100.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.02 $13.02

$10.75 MX$192

21.12%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.47 MX$62.2

57.64%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$1.45 MX$26.01

88.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.90 MX$16.16

153.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.05 MX$54.7

98.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.59 $7.59

$4.42 MX$79.1

71.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.37 MX$24.51

-35.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.87 MX$33.51

85.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.54 MX$27.63

43.51%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$2.50 MX$44.81

101.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.30 $19.30

$8.61 MX$154

124.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.92 $11.92

$8.63 MX$155

38.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.18 $18.18

$11.02 MX$197

64.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.75 MX$49.22

72.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.43 MX$25.56

-10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$1.87 MX$33.52

278.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$2.17 MX$38.80

206.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.88 MX$33.70

84.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.25 MX$40.21

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.07 MX$19.11

105.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.07 MX$19.22

133.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.15 $9.15

$4.15 MX$74.4

120.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 $13.76

$10.34 MX$185

33.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.68 MX$30.06

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.48 MX$44.46

96.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.55 MX$9.93

267.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$475

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.22 MX$57.6

42.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$2.48 MX$44.42

-45.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.75 $28.75

$3.11 MX$55.7

824.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.26 MX$22.48

-30.16%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$30.7K MX$548.8K

-12.69%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$24.0K MX$430.3K

2.34%

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

$212 $212

$82.5 MX$1,476

157.23%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$22.29 MX$399

133.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.4 $74.4

$30.02 MX$537

147.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.45 $28.45

$51.4 MX$921

-44.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$327

Cinema Ticket

$14.89 $14.89

$4.98 MX$89.2

199.00%

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

$1,774 $1,774

$200 MX$3,580

787.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$5,304 MX$94.9K

346.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.60 $47.60

$35.71 MX$639

33.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.27 $44.27

$39.56 MX$708

11.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 $96.0

$80.6 MX$1,442

19.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$88.3 MX$1,581

34.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 $1,245

$969 MX$17.4K

28.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 $1,360

$482 MX$8,632

182.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,009 $2,009

$1,595 MX$28.6K

25.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 $2,234

$1,184 MX$21.2K

88.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,258 $3,258

$4,050 MX$72.5K

-19.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,390 $2,390

$6,522 MX$116.7K

-63.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,688 $3,688

$756 MX$13.5K

387.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.42

-42.47%

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

Last update for Sterling: March 2, 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

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