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89
Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Playa del Carmen
For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,735 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 18% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 42.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 26% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 19.9% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Costa Rica
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.78 ₡5,312
$10.97 MX$201
7.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.5 ₡25.0K
$44.85 MX$823
23.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.72 ₡4,831
$11.92 MX$219
-10.07%
Cappuccino
$4.49 ₡2,023
$3.80 MX$69.9
18.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 ₡1,051
$1.31 MX$24.08
77.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ₡815
$0.86 MX$15.72
110.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.23 ₡1,455
$3.21 MX$59.0
0.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 ₡1,992
$5.01 MX$92.0
-11.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.30 ₡1,037
$1.46 MX$26.77
57.53%
White Bread (500g)
$3.55 ₡1,600
$2.33 MX$42.72
52.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 ₡1,221
$1.44 MX$26.48
88.19%
Eggs
$4.05 ₡1,825
$2.46 MX$45.20
64.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.92 ₡4,473
$7.70 MX$141
28.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.49 ₡4,729
$7.89 MX$145
32.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.56 ₡6,111
$12.80 MX$235
5.94%
Apples (1kg)
$5.13 ₡2,312
$2.92 MX$53.6
75.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ₡758
$1.42 MX$26.11
18.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.63 ₡1,639
$2.57 MX$47.10
41.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 ₡1,463
$2.14 MX$39.24
51.40%
Potato (1kg)
$3.40 ₡1,534
$1.95 MX$35.75
74.36%
Onion (1kg)
$3.09 ₡1,394
$1.94 MX$35.55
59.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 ₡501
$1.15 MX$21.13
-3.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.64 ₡1,192
$1.22 MX$22.42
116.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.43 ₡2,446
$4.38 MX$80.3
23.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.63 ₡7,048
$9.85 MX$181
58.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.75 ₡1,238
$1.54 MX$28.23
78.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 ₡1,472
$2.72 MX$49.86
20.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Costa Rica
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 ₡480
$0.52 MX$9.64
105.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.3 ₡29.4K
$27.42 MX$503
138.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.18 ₡981
$4.91 MX$90.2
-55.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.03 ₡916
$3.52 MX$64.7
-42.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.82 ₡3,977
$5.69 MX$104
55.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 ₡688
$1.54 MX$28.27
-0.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.8K ₡14.8M
$21.2K MX$389.9K
54.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.0K ₡16.2M
$24.5K MX$449.6K
46.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.4 ₡42.1K
$83.6 MX$1,535
11.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.19 ₡13.6K
$24.03 MX$441
25.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.1 ₡25.7K
$29.33 MX$539
94.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.1 ₡29.3K
$64.9 MX$1,191
0.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.13 ₡9,976
$29.46 MX$541
-24.88%
Cinema Ticket
$8.09 ₡3,645
$5.09 MX$93.4
58.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Costa Rica
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$740 ₡333.8K
$208 MX$3,813
256.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.6K ₡5.7M
$4,045 MX$74.3K
210.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.5 ₡34.0K
$44.55 MX$818
69.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.6 ₡24.6K
$42.06 MX$772
29.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 ₡57.4K
$75.5 MX$1,387
68.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 ₡48.3K
$91.4 MX$1,678
17.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$833 ₡375.3K
$986 MX$18.1K
-15.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$641 ₡289.1K
$385 MX$7,072
66.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,776 ₡800.8K
$1,713 MX$31.5K
3.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,191 ₡536.9K
$1,108 MX$20.4K
7.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,437 ₡1.1M
$4,016 MX$73.7K
-39.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,631 ₡735.2K
$6,247 MX$114.7K
-73.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Costa Rica
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,033 ₡465.8K
$758 MX$13.9K
36.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.56
11.45
-16.51%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026
Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica $641 36.7%
Playa del Carmen $385 31.4% 39.9% $256
Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica $379 21.7%
Playa del Carmen $260 21.2% 31.3% $119
Eating Out
Costa Rica $222 12.7%
Playa del Carmen $204 16.6% 8% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica $181 10.3%
Playa del Carmen $137 11.2% 24.2% $44
Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica $164 9.4%
Playa del Carmen $114 9.3% 30.5% $50
Getting Around
Costa Rica $82 4.7%
Playa del Carmen $52 4.2% 36.5% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica $81 4.6%
Playa del Carmen $75 6.1% 7.7% $6.2
Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica $1.2K 32.2%
Playa del Carmen $1.1K 36.5% 6.9% $83
Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica $864 23.3%
Playa del Carmen $602 19.8% 30.3% $262
Eating Out
Costa Rica $719 19.4%
Playa del Carmen $631 20.8% 12.2% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica $211 5.7%
Playa del Carmen $161 5.3% 23.6% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica $365 9.9%
Playa del Carmen $254 8.3% 30.5% $111
Getting Around
Costa Rica $166 4.5%
Playa del Carmen $105 3.5% 36.6% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica $185 5%
Playa del Carmen $180 5.9% 2.8% $5.1
Good to know
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
Weather
Population
5,044,197
149,923
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Costa Rica Playa del Carmen 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
- Costa Rica
- 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
Costa Rica vs other spots: cost of living compared
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