Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cartago, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,733 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
Learn more

Cartago Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Cartago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,733 in Cartago.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cartago $1,733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,363 in Cartago.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cartago $2,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,993 in Cartago.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cartago $2,993

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 31% less than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Cartago is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$8.61 ₡3,886

26.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$35.63 ₡16.1K

21.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.75 ₡4,400

20.82%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.55 ₡2,056

-16.26%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.24 ₡1,013

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.37 ₡618

-43.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.15 ₡972

47.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.20 ₡1,896

17.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.39 ₡1,079

-41.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.48 ₡1,118

-10.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.42 ₡1,093

-41.32%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.59 ₡1,622

-29.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.73 ₡3,940

-16.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$10.61 ₡4,788

-27.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.93 ₡6,288

-8.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$5.05 ₡2,279

-44.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.33 ₡601

3.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$4.37 ₡1,975

-41.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.99 ₡1,350

-29.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.16 ₡977

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.25 ₡1,015

-16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.07 ₡484

7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$2.18 ₡985

-45.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$5.98 ₡2,700

-28.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$15.61 ₡7,047

-36.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.85 ₡1,286

-44.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.02 ₡911

32.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.27 ₡571

-56.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$74.1 ₡33.5K

-64.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.31 ₡591

279.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.57 ₡711

112.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$8.73 ₡3,941

-38.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.50 ₡675

-4.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$34.7K ₡15.7M

-40.42%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-44.50%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$53.0 ₡23.9K

59.98%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$36.31 ₡16.4K

-35.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$60.0 ₡27.1K

-52.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$68.0 ₡30.7K

-16.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$77.5 ₡35.0K

-62.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$7.16 ₡3,234

-28.21%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$559 ₡252.2K

-63.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$7,872 ₡3.6M

-50.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$72.8 ₡32.9K

-40.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$56.8 ₡25.7K

-27.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$121 ₡54.8K

-38.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$87.1 ₡39.3K

2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$733 ₡331.0K

33.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$725 ₡327.1K

-47.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,920 ₡866.9K

-11.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$702 ₡316.8K

53.23%

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

$1,305 ₡589.0K

-43.70%

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 Cartago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cartago

$725 41.8% 90.3% $344

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cartago

$350 20.2% 37.5% $96

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cartago

$186 10.8% 7.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cartago

$149 8.6% 9.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cartago

$152 8.8% 36.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cartago

$82 4.8% 22.3% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cartago

$88 5.1% 75.1% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $733 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays 78% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $36 in Cartago. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $350, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

110,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cartago 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $733 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 64% less than in Cartago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $559 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,733 in Cartago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cartago. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Cartago on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.