Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Atenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,548 in Atenas, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Atenas

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,548 in Atenas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Atenas $1,548

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,527 in Atenas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Atenas $2,527

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,506 in Atenas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Atenas $3,506

Playa del Carmen is about 22% cheaper than Atenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Atenas is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$9.66 ₡4,361

13.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$56.4 ₡25.4K

-23.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$11.79 ₡5,321

-0.08%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.83 ₡1,727

-0.52%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$2.77 ₡1,249

-53.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.94 ₡875

-59.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.38 ₡1,525

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.44 ₡2,005

11.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.39 ₡1,079

-41.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$3.07 ₡1,384

-27.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.25 ₡1,016

-36.89%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.48 ₡1,571

-27.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.74 ₡4,847

-32.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$9.55 ₡4,310

-19.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$10.41 ₡4,701

21.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.52 ₡2,039

-38.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.62 ₡731

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.65 ₡1,197

-3.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$2.45 ₡1,107

-13.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$3.81 ₡1,719

-49.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.60 ₡1,173

-27.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.12 ₡505

2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$3.11 ₡1,405

-62.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$6.04 ₡2,726

-28.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$18.82 ₡8,497

-47.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.63 ₡1,188

-39.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.67 ₡1,204

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.21 ₡998

-75.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.50 ₡1,126

98.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.57 ₡709

112.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$8.68 ₡3,917

-38.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.50 ₡677

-4.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$33.7K ₡15.2M

-38.76%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$42.1K ₡19.0M

-44.21%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$94.0 ₡42.4K

-9.75%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$35.77 ₡16.1K

-34.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$52.3 ₡23.6K

-45.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$47.83 ₡21.6K

19.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$11.06 ₡4,995

161.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$7.55 ₡3,407

-31.92%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$975 ₡440.3K

-78.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$6,667 ₡3.0M

-41.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$72.0 ₡32.5K

-39.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$54.2 ₡24.5K

-23.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$126 ₡57.1K

-41.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$130 ₡58.8K

-31.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$666 ₡300.6K

47.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$550 ₡248.2K

-30.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,537 ₡693.8K

11.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,244 ₡561.7K

-13.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,330 ₡600.6K

-44.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.62

32.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Atenas: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Atenas

$550 35.5% 44.4% $169

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Atenas

$358 23.2% 40.7% $104

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Atenas

$203 13.1% 0.4% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Atenas

$182 11.8% 33% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Atenas

$172 11.1% 54.3% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Atenas

$63 4.1% 6.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Atenas

$19 * 1.2% 62% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $666 in Atenas. 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 81% higher in Atenas. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $56 in Atenas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $358 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇷 Atenas

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

7,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Atenas 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Atenas

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

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

Yes – Atenas is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,322 in Atenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $666 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $56 in Atenas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Atenas, 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 $1,204, than in Atenas at $1,548. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Atenas 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,548 in Atenas. 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, Atenas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.