Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alajuela Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alajuela

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 1.5% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 19.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 25.9% cheaper than Alajuela without rent, and 1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

$9.65 ₡4,786

23.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

$39.43 ₡19.5K

6.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

$9.41 ₡4,668

12.11%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

$3.60 ₡1,783

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

$1.50 MX$26.45

$1.96 ₡972

-23.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

$1.34 ₡662

-32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

$2.17 ₡1,078

41.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

$3.64 ₡1,802

22.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$24.54

$1.85 ₡915

-24.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 MX$33.47

$2.50 ₡1,241

-24.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$28.27

$2.14 ₡1,063

-25.23%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.97

$2.24 ₡1,110

16.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

$10.17 ₡5,040

-17.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 MX$152

$9.37 ₡4,643

-7.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 MX$192

$13.92 ₡6,899

-21.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

$4.07 ₡2,017

-35.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.46

$1.52 ₡755

-5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

$4.19 ₡2,079

-53.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

$2.86 ₡1,416

-25.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.87

$2.78 ₡1,376

-33.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 MX$39.20

$2.58 ₡1,277

-13.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

$0.96 ₡475

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.36

$2.58 ₡1,277

-59.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 MX$71.5

$5.01 ₡2,485

-19.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MX$180

$17.79 ₡8,822

-42.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$29.79

$2.12 ₡1,050

-20.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$46.25

$2.44 ₡1,209

7.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

$0.87 ₡429

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

$110 ₡54.5K

-75.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

$1.43 ₡710

120.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

$1.37 ₡677

79.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

$8.02 ₡3,974

-59.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

$1.41 ₡699

-6.38%

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

$38.3K ₡19.0M

-21.40%

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

$32.8K ₡16.3M

-27.64%

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

$83.5 MX$1,474

$45.49 ₡22.6K

83.62%

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

$22.86 MX$404

$19.69 ₡9,763

16.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

$33.41 ₡16.6K

-10.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

$65.6 ₡32.5K

-20.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

$42.96 ₡21.3K

-57.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

$9.11 ₡4,516

-43.80%

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

$201 MX$3,541

$297 ₡147.1K

-32.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

$2,310 ₡1.1M

130.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

$63.1 ₡31.3K

-43.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

$52.3 ₡26.0K

-23.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

$120 ₡59.5K

-34.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

$98.1 ₡48.7K

-9.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

$696 ₡344.9K

36.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

$600 ₡297.3K

-19.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

$978 ₡484.7K

63.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

$955 ₡473.7K

26.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

$2,004 ₡993.3K

99.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

$1,520 ₡753.4K

321.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 MX$12.9K

$1,216 ₡602.8K

-40.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

10.17

12.29%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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