Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago, Costa Rica and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,733 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
58

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

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Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,733 in Cartago versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cartago $1,733
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Cartago versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cartago $2,363
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,993 in Cartago versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cartago $2,993
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cartago is roughly 44% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartago is 27% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 ₡3,886

$10.92 MX$205

-21.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 ₡16.1K

$43.37 MX$815

-17.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 ₡4,400

$11.78 MX$221

-17.23%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,056

$3.81 MX$71.6

19.42%

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

$2.24 ₡1,013

$1.28 MX$24.10

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡618

$0.78 MX$14.71

75.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₡972

$3.17 MX$59.5

-32.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₡1,896

$4.93 MX$92.7

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.41 MX$26.43

69.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$2.22 MX$41.66

11.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,093

$1.42 MX$26.64

70.42%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,622

$2.52 MX$47.41

42.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ₡3,940

$7.26 MX$137

20.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,788

$7.70 MX$145

37.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 ₡6,288

$12.69 MX$239

9.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,279

$2.78 MX$52.3

81.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ₡601

$1.37 MX$25.71

-2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 ₡1,975

$2.55 MX$47.94

71.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 ₡1,350

$2.12 MX$39.90

41.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ₡977

$1.94 MX$36.43

11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,015

$1.89 MX$35.44

19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡484

$1.15 MX$21.55

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$1.18 MX$22.16

84.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 ₡2,700

$4.30 MX$80.7

39.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.61 ₡7,047

$9.95 MX$187

56.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,286

$1.58 MX$29.76

80.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₡911

$2.67 MX$50.2

-24.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ₡571

$0.55 MX$10.40

130.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 ₡33.5K

$26.62 MX$500

178.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ₡591

$4.97 MX$93.4

-73.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡711

$3.33 MX$62.6

-52.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 ₡3,941

$5.36 MX$101

62.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$1.44 MX$27.14

4.17%

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

$34.7K ₡15.7M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

67.85%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

80.19%

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

$53.0 ₡23.9K

$84.8 MX$1,594

-37.49%

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

$36.31 ₡16.4K

$23.41 MX$440

55.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡27.1K

$28.66 MX$539

109.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 ₡30.7K

$57.1 MX$1,072

19.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.5 ₡35.0K

$28.91 MX$543

168.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 ₡3,234

$5.14 MX$96.6

39.30%

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

$559 ₡252.2K

$207 MX$3,882

170.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,872 ₡3.6M

$3,927 MX$73.8K

100.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 ₡32.9K

$43.35 MX$815

67.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.7K

$41.44 MX$779

37.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.8K

$74.2 MX$1,394

63.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₡39.3K

$89.3 MX$1,677

-2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ₡331.0K

$980 MX$18.4K

-25.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ₡327.1K

$381 MX$7,157

90.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡866.9K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

12.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ₡316.8K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-34.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,305 ₡589.0K

$735 MX$13.8K

77.62%

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 Cartago: October 25, 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

Cartago

$725 41.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 47.4% $344

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$350 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27.3% $96

Eating Out

Cartago

$186 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 8.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$152 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$149 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 8.3% $12

Getting Around

Cartago

$88 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 42.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$82 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 18.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Cartago and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays 78% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Cartago vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Cartago

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

00:32 12:32 AM

1 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Cartago
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Cartago, 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: $733 in Cartago versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 64% less than in Cartago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $559 in Cartago versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,733 in Cartago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cartago. 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, Cartago on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.