Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Curridabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,660 in Curridabat, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Curridabat
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Curridabat Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Curridabat

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,660 in Curridabat.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Curridabat $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,756 in Curridabat.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Curridabat $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,852 in Curridabat.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Curridabat $3,852

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 28% less than in Curridabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Curridabat is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$11.14 ₡5,010

-4.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-21.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.64 ₡4,334

22.30%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$4.42 ₡1,987

-14.25%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.04 ₡916

-36.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.40 ₡629

-40.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.40 ₡1,528

-7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.95 ₡1,326

67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.34 ₡1,051

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.07 ₡1,379

-28.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.51 ₡1,128

-41.43%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.54 ₡1,591

-29.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$10.83 ₡4,870

-32.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$10.62 ₡4,775

-25.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.90 ₡6,251

-7.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.99 ₡2,246

-41.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.60 ₡719

-13.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.69 ₡2,111

-46.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$3.95 ₡1,778

-48.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.94 ₡1,771

-48.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.76 ₡1,690

-49.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.11 ₡499

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$3.13 ₡1,410

-60.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$6.02 ₡2,707

-29.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$20.10 ₡9,039

-51.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.87 ₡1,291

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.59 ₡1,612

-23.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.23 ₡554

-58.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.25 ₡1,013

111.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.81 ₡812

79.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$7.94 ₡3,569

-32.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.55 ₡699

-1.29%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-36.56%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-43.65%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$96.4 ₡43.4K

-13.42%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$35.56 ₡16.0K

-34.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-54.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$59.4 ₡26.7K

-5.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.56 ₡3,401

-33.86%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$997 ₡448.2K

-79.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$19.2K ₡8.6M

-72.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$73.1 ₡32.9K

-40.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-24.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$128 ₡57.7K

-43.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$134 ₡60.4K

-34.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$793 ₡356.7K

25.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$590 ₡265.5K

-35.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,860 ₡836.6K

-10.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,447 ₡650.7K

-25.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$492 ₡221.1K

69.31%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Curridabat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Curridabat

$590 35.6% 54.4% $208

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Curridabat

$402 24.2% 56.1% $144

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Curridabat

$208 12.5% 3.7% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Curridabat

$193 11.6% 43.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Curridabat

$177 10.6% 58.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Curridabat

$75 4.5% 12.2% $8.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Curridabat

$16 * 1% 67.9% $34

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 $995 in Playa del Carmen and $793 in Curridabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 69% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $56 in Curridabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $402 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇷 Curridabat

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

00:16 12:16 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

33,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Curridabat

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 Curridabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 69% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $793 in Curridabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $997 in Curridabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $56 in Curridabat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,660 in Curridabat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Curridabat. 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.