Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Playa del Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Coco despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
Learn more

Playa del Coco Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Playa del Coco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,676 in Playa del Coco.

Mexico City $1,608
Playa del Coco $1,676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,700 in Playa del Coco.

Mexico City $2,549
Playa del Coco $2,700

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,724 in Playa del Coco.

Mexico City $3,490
Playa del Coco $3,724

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 4% less than in Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Playa del Coco 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$18.46 ₡8,328

-42.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$58.1 ₡26.2K

-16.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$13.36 ₡6,030

-22.53%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$4.35 ₡1,965

-15.17%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$2.65 ₡1,197

-36.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.60 ₡724

-20.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.58 ₡1,613

-10.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$6.15 ₡2,774

-13.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$2.30 ₡1,039

-25.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.79 ₡1,260

8.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.44 ₡1,102

-20.49%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.56 ₡1,605

-18.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$10.56 ₡4,764

3.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$10.58 ₡4,776

-12.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$16.10 ₡7,264

-6.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$5.57 ₡2,516

-45.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.77 ₡798

9.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$3.84 ₡1,731

-47.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$3.58 ₡1,614

-35.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$3.43 ₡1,548

-40.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$3.07 ₡1,386

-41.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.20 ₡542

23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$2.67 ₡1,206

-52.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$5.81 ₡2,623

-8.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$16.66 ₡7,517

-3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.51 ₡1,131

-21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.65 ₡1,194

60.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$1.33 ₡600

-76.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$2.46 ₡1,110

-25.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.55 ₡701

-65.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$9.30 ₡4,198

-43.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.58 ₡714

-4.43%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$34.3K ₡15.5M

-36.63%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$41.0K ₡18.5M

-41.46%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$93.6 ₡42.2K

-32.71%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$29.79 ₡13.4K

-8.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$58.3 ₡26.3K

-38.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$71.1 ₡32.1K

-17.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.18 ₡3,240

-10.86%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$756 ₡340.9K

-42.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-32.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$82.1 ₡37.1K

-16.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$55.6 ₡25.1K

-4.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$110 ₡49.6K

-1.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$116 ₡52.5K

0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$882 ₡397.8K

26.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$559 ₡252.1K

27.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,979 ₡893.1K

30.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,193 ₡538.1K

17.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$334 ₡150.8K

538.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$772 ₡348.3K

22.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.62

31.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3% 21.4% $152

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9% 20.2% $64

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1% 44.6% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8% 5.1% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8% 44.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1% 19.1% $14

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 39% $9.9

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $882 in Playa del Coco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $58 in Playa del Coco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $384 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Playa del Coco 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Playa del Coco

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

Mexico City vs Playa del Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,676 in Playa del Coco, so Mexico City is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $882 in Playa del Coco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $756 in Playa del Coco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $58 in Playa del Coco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.