Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acosta and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,712 in Acosta, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index
58

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

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Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,712 in Acosta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Acosta $1,712
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,673 in Acosta versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Acosta $2,673
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,633 in Acosta versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Acosta $3,633
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Acosta is roughly 42% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Acosta is 26% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ₡5,531

$10.92 MX$204

12.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 ₡25.8K

$43.37 MX$810

31.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 ₡5,325

$11.78 MX$220

0.17%

Cappuccino

$4.16 ₡1,875

$3.81 MX$71.2

9.19%

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

$2.64 ₡1,193

$1.28 MX$23.96

106.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡838

$0.78 MX$14.63

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,521

$3.17 MX$59.2

6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 ₡2,029

$4.93 MX$92.2

-8.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$1.41 MX$26.28

70.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 ₡1,283

$2.22 MX$41.43

27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,208

$1.42 MX$26.48

88.73%

Eggs

$3.16 ₡1,428

$2.52 MX$47.14

25.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.58 ₡5,226

$7.26 MX$136

59.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 ₡5,117

$7.70 MX$144

47.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 ₡6,677

$12.69 MX$237

16.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,107

$2.78 MX$52.0

67.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₡790

$1.37 MX$25.56

27.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,701

$2.55 MX$47.66

47.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,756

$2.12 MX$39.67

83.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 ₡1,450

$1.94 MX$36.22

65.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,208

$1.89 MX$35.24

41.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡474

$1.15 MX$21.42

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 ₡1,362

$1.18 MX$22.03

155.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.50 ₡2,484

$4.30 MX$80.3

27.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.96 ₡8,105

$9.95 MX$186

80.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₡1,053

$1.58 MX$29.59

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,264

$2.67 MX$49.91

4.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.55 MX$10.34

134.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,123

$4.97 MX$92.9

-49.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 ₡618

$3.33 MX$62.2

-58.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 ₡4,448

$5.36 MX$100

83.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.44 MX$26.98

12.50%

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

$37.4K ₡16.9M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

80.74%

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

$42.0K ₡19.0M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

79.19%

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

$100 ₡45.2K

$84.8 MX$1,584

18.19%

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

$30.43 ₡13.7K

$23.41 MX$437

29.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 ₡23.7K

$28.66 MX$535

83.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 ₡26.5K

$57.1 MX$1,066

3.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ₡3,374

$5.14 MX$96.0

45.53%

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

$778 ₡350.9K

$207 MX$3,860

276.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

338.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 ₡29.1K

$43.35 MX$810

48.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 ₡28.7K

$41.44 MX$774

53.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 ₡61.1K

$74.2 MX$1,386

82.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 ₡66.8K

$89.3 MX$1,668

65.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₡408.5K

$980 MX$18.3K

-7.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₡288.8K

$381 MX$7,116

68.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 ₡975.1K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

26.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 ₡545.9K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

12.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,959 ₡883.9K

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-50.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,479 ₡667.4K

$735 MX$13.7K

101.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.45

-24.72%

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

Last update for Acosta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Acosta

$640 37.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 40.5% $259

Groceries & Markets

Acosta

$389 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.4% $134

Eating Out

Acosta

$227 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 10.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Acosta

$185 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 39.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acosta

$183 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 25.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Acosta

$74 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Acosta

$14 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 249% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Acosta and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Acosta vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Acosta

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

03:20 3:20 AM

1 h ahead of Acosta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,072

149,923

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Acosta Playa del Carmen 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Acosta
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

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

Acosta and Playa del Carmen differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,712 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Acosta is about 2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Acosta versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Acosta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,712 per month in Acosta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,712 in Acosta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Acosta. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Acosta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.