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

🙂 Solo nomad: Alajuela is 1.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 24.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Alajuela is 34.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.65 ₡4,786

$11.88 MX$210

-18.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.43 ₡19.5K

$41.90 MX$740

-5.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 ₡4,668

$10.55 MX$186

-10.81%

Cappuccino

$3.60 ₡1,783

$3.60 MX$63.5

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

$1.96 ₡972

$1.50 MX$26.45

30.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡662

$0.91 MX$16.09

47.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 ₡1,078

$3.08 MX$54.4

-29.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₡1,802

$4.47 MX$78.8

-18.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₡915

$1.39 MX$24.54

33.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 ₡1,241

$1.90 MX$33.47

31.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 ₡1,063

$1.60 MX$28.27

33.75%

Eggs

$2.24 ₡1,110

$2.60 MX$45.97

-13.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 ₡5,040

$8.36 MX$148

21.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 ₡4,643

$8.64 MX$152

8.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,899

$10.91 MX$192

27.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 ₡2,017

$2.61 MX$45.98

55.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₡755

$1.44 MX$25.46

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 ₡2,079

$1.96 MX$34.55

113.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₡1,416

$2.12 MX$37.34

34.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 ₡1,376

$1.86 MX$32.87

49.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₡1,277

$2.22 MX$39.20

16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 ₡475

$1.02 MX$17.99

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 ₡1,277

$1.04 MX$18.36

148.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.01 ₡2,485

$4.05 MX$71.5

23.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.79 ₡8,822

$10.18 MX$180

74.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₡1,050

$1.69 MX$29.79

25.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₡1,209

$2.62 MX$46.25

-6.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ₡429

$0.51 MX$9.09

70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 ₡54.5K

$26.52 MX$468

314.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ₡710

$3.15 MX$55.7

-54.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 ₡677

$2.46 MX$43.49

-44.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 ₡3,974

$3.26 MX$57.5

146.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₡699

$1.32 MX$23.36

6.82%

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

$38.3K ₡19.0M

$30.1K MX$531.0K

27.23%

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

$32.8K ₡16.3M

$23.8K MX$419.3K

38.20%

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

$45.49 ₡22.6K

$83.5 MX$1,474

-45.54%

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

$19.69 ₡9,763

$22.86 MX$404

-13.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.41 ₡16.6K

$30.04 MX$530

11.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 ₡32.5K

$51.9 MX$916

26.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.96 ₡21.3K

$18.30 MX$323

134.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 ₡4,516

$5.12 MX$90.4

77.93%

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

$297 ₡147.1K

$201 MX$3,541

47.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,310 ₡1.1M

$5,318 MX$93.9K

-56.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 ₡31.3K

$35.73 MX$631

76.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 ₡26.0K

$40.27 MX$711

29.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ₡59.5K

$79.2 MX$1,398

51.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 ₡48.7K

$89.3 MX$1,576

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 ₡344.9K

$947 MX$16.7K

-26.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 ₡297.3K

$483 MX$8,525

24.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 ₡484.7K

$1,599 MX$28.2K

-38.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₡473.7K

$1,211 MX$21.4K

-21.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,004 ₡993.3K

$3,996 MX$70.5K

-49.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,520 ₡753.4K

$6,402 MX$113.0K

-76.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,216 ₡602.8K

$730 MX$12.9K

66.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

11.42

-10.95%

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

Last update for Alajuela: January 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 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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