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

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 18.6% cheaper than Escazu without rent, and 40% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 27.7% cheaper than Escazu without rent, and 15.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Escazu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$210
$10.96 ₡5,182
8.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$746
$59.3 ₡28.0K
-28.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$9.68 ₡4,578
11.05%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.5
$3.92 ₡1,852
-11.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.72
$2.08 ₡983
-30.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.98
$1.64 ₡776
-45.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.1
$3.00 ₡1,420
1.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$78.2
$4.70 ₡2,224
-5.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Escazu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.24
$2.06 ₡973
-33.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.14
$2.87 ₡1,356
-34.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.32
$2.24 ₡1,061
-31.25%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.31
$2.87 ₡1,359
-12.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$9.72 ₡4,596
-11.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$153
$9.39 ₡4,439
-8.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$13.66 ₡6,457
-19.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.67
$4.53 ₡2,143
-39.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.28
$1.50 ₡709
-4.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.15
$4.22 ₡1,996
-55.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.37
$3.29 ₡1,554
-34.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.33
$3.49 ₡1,652
-46.13%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.76
$3.14 ₡1,484
-28.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.90
$0.97 ₡461
10.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.00
$2.83 ₡1,336
-62.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.5
$5.02 ₡2,376
-17.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$183
$17.78 ₡8,406
-41.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.72
$1.69 ₡799
-0.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.97
$2.78 ₡1,315
-10.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Escazu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.82
$0.94 ₡446
-41.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$470
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.9
$1.69 ₡797
90.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.93
$1.78 ₡842
39.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.0
$7.79 ₡3,683
-60.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.22
$1.39 ₡657
-9.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$542.7K
$31.3K ₡14.8M
-2.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$425.5K
$33.1K ₡15.6M
-27.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Escazu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,460
$66.2 ₡31.3K
24.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$394
$25.43 ₡12.0K
-12.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$531
$50.5 ₡23.9K
-40.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Escazu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$911
$105 ₡49.7K
-51.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$324
$9.74 ₡4,603
87.78%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.2
$9.69 ₡4,582
-48.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Escazu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,540
$579 ₡273.8K
-65.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.9K
$14.2K ₡6.7M
-62.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Escazu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$632
$62.0 ₡29.3K
-42.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$700
$51.1 ₡24.1K
-22.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,426
$128 ₡60.5K
-37.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,563
$109 ₡51.4K
-18.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Escazu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.2K
$1,063 ₡502.8K
-8.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,535
$1,073 ₡507.4K
-55.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$1,689 ₡798.3K
-5.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.0K
$1,324 ₡626.0K
-10.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.7K
$1,583 ₡748.3K
155.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.4K
$1,153 ₡545.2K
465.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Escazu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$1,670 ₡789.7K
-54.72%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Escazu: March 2, 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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