Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,601 in Guadalupe, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Guadalupe
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Guadalupe Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Guadalupe

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,601

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,601 per month in Guadalupe vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Guadalupe $1,601
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Guadalupe vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Guadalupe $2,490
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,379 per month in Guadalupe vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Guadalupe $3,379
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Guadalupe costs about 33% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Guadalupe sits 18% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.11 ₡4,996

$10.67 MX$198

4.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.87 ₡14.8K

$43.80 MX$813

-24.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 ₡3,942

$11.79 MX$219

-25.61%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₡1,460

$3.79 MX$70.3

-14.25%

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

$2.15 ₡966

$1.30 MX$24.09

65.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$0.83 MX$15.48

124.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,513

$3.15 MX$58.4

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,983

$4.93 MX$91.6

-10.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₡973

$1.41 MX$26.16

53.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₡1,436

$2.20 MX$40.77

45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,098

$1.47 MX$27.35

65.99%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,566

$2.50 MX$46.37

39.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 ₡4,319

$7.29 MX$135

31.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 ₡4,472

$7.95 MX$148

25.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,223

$12.86 MX$239

7.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,299

$2.90 MX$53.8

76.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₡734

$1.38 MX$25.69

18.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 ₡2,118

$2.49 MX$46.26

89.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,695

$2.03 MX$37.70

85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,759

$2.02 MX$37.61

93.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,666

$1.90 MX$35.35

95.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡499

$1.14 MX$21.25

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,392

$1.24 MX$23.01

149.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ₡2,004

$4.27 MX$79.3

4.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.12 ₡9,047

$9.81 MX$182

105.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,241

$1.59 MX$29.45

73.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 ₡1,611

$2.75 MX$51.0

30.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡606

$0.51 MX$9.56

164.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ₡926

$4.76 MX$88.4

-56.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 ₡721

$3.25 MX$60.3

-50.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,019

$5.39 MX$100

65.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₡637

$1.53 MX$28.38

-7.19%

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

$25.9K ₡11.6M

$21.2K MX$393.9K

21.87%

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

$41.5K ₡18.7M

$23.3K MX$432.0K

78.30%

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

$35.93 ₡16.2K

$83.5 MX$1,550

-56.96%

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

$26.33 ₡11.8K

$23.19 MX$431

13.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 ₡24.4K

$27.61 MX$513

96.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.1K

$56.4 MX$1,048

18.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 ₡3,510

$5.00 MX$92.9

56.00%

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

$990 ₡445.0K

$207 MX$3,846

377.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.6M

$5,231 MX$97.1K

224.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 ₡31.6K

$43.45 MX$807

61.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.98 ₡19.8K

$42.54 MX$790

3.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

$72.8 MX$1,351

80.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ₡44.3K

$88.4 MX$1,641

11.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₡368.4K

$995 MX$18.5K

-17.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 ₡289.4K

$382 MX$7,102

68.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 ₡842.4K

$1,674 MX$31.1K

11.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ₡563.6K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

15.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,232 ₡553.9K

$832 MX$15.5K

47.99%

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 Guadalupe: October 31, 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

Guadalupe

$644 40.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 40.6% $261

Groceries & Markets

Guadalupe

$392 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 34.4% $135

Eating Out

Guadalupe

$196 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 2.3% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalupe

$155 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 28.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalupe

$117 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 15.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalupe

$83 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 19.5% $16

Getting Around

Guadalupe

$15 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 226% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $819 in Guadalupe 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.

Salaries run about 48% higher in Guadalupe. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Guadalupe versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Guadalupe vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guadalupe

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

12:35 12:35 PM

1 h ahead of Guadalupe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,000

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 = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Guadalupe Playa del Carmen 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Guadalupe
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,601 in Guadalupe, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,401 per month in Guadalupe 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 Guadalupe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $819 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Guadalupe 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 52% more in Guadalupe, 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 Guadalupe at $1,601. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guadalupe 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 $1,601 in Guadalupe. 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, Guadalupe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.