Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Desamparados and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,692 in Desamparados, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index
57

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

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Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,692

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Desamparados vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Desamparados $1,692
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,664 per month in Desamparados vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Desamparados $2,664
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,636 per month in Desamparados vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Desamparados $3,636
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Desamparados costs about 41% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Desamparados sits 25% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.32 ₡5,539

$10.67 MX$199

15.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.8 ₡26.4K

$43.80 MX$815

34.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 ₡5,201

$11.79 MX$219

-1.95%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,936

$3.79 MX$70.5

13.46%

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

$2.66 ₡1,195

$1.30 MX$24.14

104.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡863

$0.83 MX$15.51

131.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ₡1,450

$3.15 MX$58.6

2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 ₡1,954

$4.93 MX$91.8

-11.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₡1,055

$1.41 MX$26.22

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 ₡1,243

$2.20 MX$40.86

25.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,124

$1.47 MX$27.40

70.07%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,604

$2.50 MX$46.46

42.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ₡4,886

$7.29 MX$136

48.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,624

$7.95 MX$148

29.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 ₡6,383

$12.86 MX$239

10.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 ₡2,348

$2.90 MX$53.9

80.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡716

$1.38 MX$25.74

15.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 ₡1,473

$2.49 MX$46.35

31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,549

$2.03 MX$37.77

69.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 ₡1,395

$2.02 MX$37.68

53.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,452

$1.90 MX$35.42

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡470

$1.14 MX$21.30

-7.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,220

$1.24 MX$23.05

118.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,505

$4.27 MX$79.5

30.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.73 ₡7,526

$9.81 MX$183

70.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 ₡1,169

$1.59 MX$29.51

63.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₡1,233

$2.75 MX$51.1

-0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡586

$0.51 MX$9.58

154.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$4.76 MX$88.6

-47.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡694

$3.25 MX$60.5

-52.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,917

$5.39 MX$100

61.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.53 MX$28.44

-0.65%

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

$33.7K ₡15.1M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

58.78%

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

$42.4K ₡19.1M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

82.41%

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

$93.1 ₡41.8K

$83.5 MX$1,554

11.45%

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

$29.52 ₡13.3K

$23.19 MX$431

27.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ₡26.5K

$27.61 MX$514

113.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.0K

$56.4 MX$1,050

22.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 ₡3,368

$5.00 MX$93.1

49.80%

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

$845 ₡380.0K

$207 MX$3,854

308.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$5,231 MX$97.3K

227.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.4K

$43.45 MX$809

65.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$42.54 MX$792

30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.1K

$72.8 MX$1,354

74.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$88.4 MX$1,645

51.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 ₡359.7K

$995 MX$18.5K

-19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$636 ₡286.1K

$382 MX$7,116

66.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 ₡844.1K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

12.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 ₡557.6K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

14.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Desamparados: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Desamparados

$636 37.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 39.9% $254

Groceries & Markets

Desamparados

$372 22%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 30.9% $115

Eating Out

Desamparados

$228 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 12.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Desamparados

$181 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 26% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Desamparados

$175 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 36.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Desamparados

$84 5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 20.9% $18

Getting Around

Desamparados

$15 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 227% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $800 in Desamparados versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Desamparados versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

1 h ahead of Desamparados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

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 = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Desamparados
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Desamparados, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Desamparados and $1,804 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 Desamparados, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $800 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Desamparados and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Desamparados, 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 $1,202, than in Desamparados at $1,692. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Desamparados 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,692 in Desamparados. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.