Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,601 in Guadalupe, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Guadalupe
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Guadalupe Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Guadalupe

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,601 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Guadalupe $1,601

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,490 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Guadalupe $2,490

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,379 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Guadalupe $3,379

Playa del Carmen is about 25% cheaper than Guadalupe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Guadalupe is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$11.11 ₡4,996

-3.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$32.87 ₡14.8K

33.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.77 ₡3,942

34.44%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.25 ₡1,460

16.62%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.15 ₡966

-39.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.86 ₡837

-55.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.36 ₡1,513

-6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.41 ₡1,983

11.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.16 ₡973

-34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.19 ₡1,436

-31.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.44 ₡1,098

-39.75%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.48 ₡1,566

-28.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$9.60 ₡4,319

-24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$9.95 ₡4,472

-20.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.84 ₡6,223

-7.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$5.11 ₡2,299

-43.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.63 ₡734

-15.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.71 ₡2,118

-47.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$3.77 ₡1,695

-46.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.91 ₡1,759

-48.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.71 ₡1,666

-48.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.11 ₡499

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$3.09 ₡1,392

-59.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$4.46 ₡2,004

-4.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$20.12 ₡9,047

-51.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.76 ₡1,241

-42.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.58 ₡1,611

-23.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.35 ₡606

-62.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.06 ₡926

131.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.60 ₡721

103.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.94 ₡4,019

-39.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.42 ₡637

7.75%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$25.9K ₡11.6M

-17.94%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$41.5K ₡18.7M

-43.91%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$35.93 ₡16.2K

132.37%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$26.33 ₡11.8K

-11.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$54.3 ₡24.4K

-49.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$66.9 ₡30.1K

-15.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.80 ₡3,510

-35.90%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$990 ₡445.0K

-79.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.0K ₡7.6M

-69.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$70.3 ₡31.6K

-38.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$43.98 ₡19.8K

-3.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$131 ₡59.0K

-44.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$98.4 ₡44.3K

-10.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$819 ₡368.4K

21.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$644 ₡289.4K

-40.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,873 ₡842.4K

-10.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,253 ₡563.6K

-13.78%

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

$1,232 ₡553.9K

-32.43%

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 Guadalupe: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Guadalupe

$644 40.2% 68.3% $261

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Guadalupe

$392 24.5% 52.4% $135

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Guadalupe

$196 12.2% 2.2% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Guadalupe

$117 7.3% 13.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Guadalupe

$155 9.7% 39.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Guadalupe

$83 5.2% 24.2% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Guadalupe

$15 * 1% 69.3% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $819 in Guadalupe. 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 48% higher in Guadalupe. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $33 in Guadalupe. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $392 in Guadalupe – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇷 Guadalupe

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

12:43 12:43 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

23,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 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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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Guadalupe 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Guadalupe

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 Guadalupe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $1,601 in Guadalupe – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,401 in Guadalupe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guadalupe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $819 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $33 in Guadalupe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Guadalupe, 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 $1,202, than in Guadalupe at $1,601. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guadalupe 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,601 in Guadalupe. 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, Guadalupe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.