Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atenas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,548 in Atenas, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index
58

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

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Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Atenas vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Atenas $1,548
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,527 per month in Atenas vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Atenas $2,527
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,506 per month in Atenas vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Atenas $3,506
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Atenas costs about 29% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Atenas sits 14% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 ₡4,361

$10.92 MX$203

-11.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 ₡25.4K

$43.37 MX$808

29.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 ₡5,321

$11.78 MX$219

0.08%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ₡1,727

$3.81 MX$71.0

0.52%

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

$2.77 ₡1,249

$1.28 MX$23.89

116.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡875

$0.78 MX$14.58

148.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,525

$3.17 MX$59.0

6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 ₡2,005

$4.93 MX$91.9

-9.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.41 MX$26.20

69.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,384

$2.22 MX$41.30

38.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,016

$1.42 MX$26.40

58.45%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,571

$2.52 MX$47.00

38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,847

$7.26 MX$135

47.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 ₡4,310

$7.70 MX$143

24.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 ₡4,701

$12.69 MX$236

-17.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 ₡2,039

$2.78 MX$51.9

62.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.37 MX$25.49

18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 ₡1,197

$2.55 MX$47.52

3.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 ₡1,107

$2.12 MX$39.55

15.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,719

$1.94 MX$36.11

96.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ₡1,173

$1.89 MX$35.13

37.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.15 MX$21.36

-2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₡1,405

$1.18 MX$21.96

163.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 ₡2,726

$4.30 MX$80.0

40.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 ₡8,497

$9.95 MX$185

89.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.58 MX$29.50

66.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,204

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 ₡998

$0.55 MX$10.31

301.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,126

$4.97 MX$92.6

-49.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡709

$3.33 MX$62.1

-52.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 ₡3,917

$5.36 MX$99.8

61.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡677

$1.44 MX$26.90

4.17%

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

$33.7K ₡15.2M

$20.7K MX$385.0K

63.30%

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

$42.1K ₡19.0M

$23.5K MX$437.2K

79.25%

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

$94.0 ₡42.4K

$84.8 MX$1,580

10.80%

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

$35.77 ₡16.1K

$23.41 MX$436

52.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 ₡23.6K

$28.66 MX$534

82.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.83 ₡21.6K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-16.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 ₡4,995

$28.91 MX$539

-61.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ₡3,407

$5.14 MX$95.7

46.89%

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

$975 ₡440.3K

$207 MX$3,848

372.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,667 ₡3.0M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

69.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.5K

$43.35 MX$808

66.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 ₡24.5K

$41.44 MX$772

30.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡57.1K

$74.2 MX$1,382

70.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.8K

$89.3 MX$1,663

45.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₡300.6K

$980 MX$18.2K

-32.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 ₡248.2K

$381 MX$7,095

44.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 ₡693.8K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-10.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 ₡561.7K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

15.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,330 ₡600.6K

$735 MX$13.7K

81.14%

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 Atenas: October 24, 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

Atenas

$550 35.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 30.7% $169

Groceries & Markets

Atenas

$358 23.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 28.9% $104

Eating Out

Atenas

$203 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 0.4% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atenas

$182 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 24.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Atenas

$172 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Atenas

$63 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7% $4.4

Getting Around

Atenas

$19 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 163% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Atenas versus $980 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 81% higher in Atenas. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Atenas versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Atenas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

1 h ahead of Atenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

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 = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Atenas Playa del Carmen 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Atenas
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

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

Yes – Atenas is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Atenas and $1,806 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 Atenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $666 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Atenas and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Atenas, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Atenas at $1,548. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Atenas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,548 in Atenas. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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