Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaco Beach and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,445 in Jaco Beach, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,445 in Jaco Beach versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Jaco Beach $1,445
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,296 in Jaco Beach versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Jaco Beach $2,296
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,147 in Jaco Beach versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Jaco Beach $3,147
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Jaco Beach is roughly 20% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jaco Beach is 6% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 ₡5,108

$10.92 MX$205

3.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.14 ₡19.5K

$43.37 MX$815

-0.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 ₡4,615

$11.78 MX$221

-13.24%

Cappuccino

$3.99 ₡1,800

$3.81 MX$71.6

4.72%

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

$2.40 ₡1,085

$1.28 MX$24.10

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡844

$0.78 MX$14.71

139.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,442

$3.17 MX$59.5

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₡1,955

$4.93 MX$92.7

-12.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡892

$1.41 MX$26.43

40.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ₡989

$2.22 MX$41.66

-1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.42 MX$26.64

68.31%

Eggs

$2.60 ₡1,175

$2.52 MX$47.41

3.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,868

$7.26 MX$137

48.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 ₡4,010

$7.70 MX$145

15.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ₡5,468

$12.69 MX$239

-4.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 ₡2,234

$2.78 MX$52.3

78.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₡749

$1.37 MX$25.71

21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 ₡2,142

$2.55 MX$47.94

86.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,545

$2.12 MX$39.90

61.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ₡676

$1.94 MX$36.43

-22.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ₡641

$1.89 MX$35.44

-24.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₡447

$1.15 MX$21.55

-13.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₡900

$1.18 MX$22.16

68.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.01 ₡2,712

$4.30 MX$80.7

39.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 ₡6,234

$9.95 MX$187

38.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$1.58 MX$29.76

67.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡986

$2.67 MX$50.2

-18.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,125

$4.97 MX$93.4

-49.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$3.33 MX$62.6

-51.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.53 ₡3,850

$5.36 MX$101

59.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.44 MX$27.14

9.03%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

64.00%

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

$42.6K ₡19.2M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

81.64%

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

$79.6 ₡35.9K

$84.8 MX$1,594

-6.18%

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

$23.88 ₡10.8K

$23.41 MX$440

2.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.69 ₡21.5K

$28.66 MX$539

66.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$57.1 MX$1,072

-8.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,485

$5.14 MX$96.6

50.19%

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

$479 ₡216.4K

$207 MX$3,882

132.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,442 ₡3.4M

$3,927 MX$73.8K

89.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.50 ₡11.5K

$43.35 MX$815

-41.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.4K

$41.44 MX$779

35.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$74.2 MX$1,394

71.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.9K

$89.3 MX$1,677

48.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₡337.8K

$980 MX$18.4K

-23.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₡237.3K

$381 MX$7,157

38.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡895.8K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

16.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 ₡496.1K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

2.21%

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)

$402 ₡181.4K

$735 MX$13.8K

-45.31%

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 Jaco Beach: 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

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 27.5% $145

Groceries & Markets

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 21.8% $71

Eating Out

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 4% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 9.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 374% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $748 in Jaco Beach and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 83% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Jaco Beach vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

1 h ahead of Jaco Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jaco Beach Playa del Carmen 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Jaco Beach
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Jaco Beach. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $748 in Jaco Beach versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Jaco Beach. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $479 in Jaco Beach versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.