Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,317 in Perez Zeledon, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Perez Zeledon despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
58

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

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $1,317
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $2,364
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,410 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $3,410
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Perez Zeledon costs about 9% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Perez Zeledon and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Perez Zeledon 3% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.09 ₡4,102

$10.92 MX$205

-16.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.24 ₡16.8K

$43.37 MX$814

-14.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 ₡3,699

$11.78 MX$221

-30.48%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,217

$3.81 MX$71.5

-29.13%

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

$1.97 ₡887

$1.28 MX$24.07

53.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₡805

$0.78 MX$14.70

128.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ₡780

$3.17 MX$59.5

-45.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,447

$4.93 MX$92.7

-34.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.41 MX$26.40

13.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,413

$2.22 MX$41.62

40.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$1.42 MX$26.61

75.35%

Eggs

$2.49 ₡1,126

$2.52 MX$47.36

-1.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,846

$7.26 MX$136

47.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,639

$7.70 MX$144

33.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 ₡6,384

$12.69 MX$238

11.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ₡2,365

$2.78 MX$52.3

88.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡488

$1.37 MX$25.68

-21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,206

$2.55 MX$47.89

91.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,737

$2.12 MX$39.86

81.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,680

$1.94 MX$36.39

91.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,622

$1.89 MX$35.41

89.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₡205

$1.15 MX$21.53

-60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$1.18 MX$22.13

161.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$4.30 MX$80.6

29.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.80 ₡8,937

$9.95 MX$187

98.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,297

$1.58 MX$29.73

81.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,638

$2.67 MX$50.1

35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ₡364

$0.55 MX$10.39

47.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,126

$4.97 MX$93.3

-49.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡737

$3.33 MX$62.5

-51.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₡3,955

$5.36 MX$101

63.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡688

$1.44 MX$27.11

5.56%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

63.34%

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

$42.1K ₡19.0M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

79.46%

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

$93.6 ₡42.2K

$84.8 MX$1,592

10.35%

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

$23.99 ₡10.8K

$23.41 MX$439

2.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.7K

$28.66 MX$538

106.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 ₡30.7K

$57.1 MX$1,071

19.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,464

$5.14 MX$96.5

49.22%

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

$498 ₡224.8K

$207 MX$3,878

141.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$3,927 MX$73.7K

340.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.4K

$43.35 MX$814

65.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.8K

$41.44 MX$778

32.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$74.2 MX$1,393

72.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$89.3 MX$1,676

48.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₡181.3K

$980 MX$18.4K

-59.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ₡147.1K

$381 MX$7,150

-14.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 ₡963.0K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

24.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 ₡568.7K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

17.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.5% $128

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 16.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 22.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35.9% $63

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 26.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 19.2% $16

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 263% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Perez Zeledon versus $980 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 $37 in Perez Zeledon versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $383 in Perez Zeledon vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

10:06 10:06 AM

1 h ahead of Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

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 = 5.33 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 1, 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Perez Zeledon Playa del Carmen 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Perez Zeledon
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

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

Yes – Perez Zeledon is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,975 per month in Perez Zeledon and $1,806 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 Perez Zeledon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,317 in Perez Zeledon and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 9% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $498 per month in Perez Zeledon and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,317 in Perez Zeledon and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,317 in Perez Zeledon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.