Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,723 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in San Juan

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,723 in San Juan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
San Juan $1,723

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,746 in San Juan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Juan $2,746

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,770 in San Juan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
San Juan $3,770

Playa del Carmen is about 30% cheaper than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while San Juan is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$12.46 ₡5,602

-14.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-28.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$11.85 ₡5,331

-0.51%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$4.35 ₡1,956

-12.87%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.75 ₡1,238

-52.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.90 ₡855

-56.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.34 ₡1,502

-5.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.52 ₡2,035

9.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.33 ₡1,047

-39.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.11 ₡1,400

-29.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.44 ₡1,096

-39.75%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.48 ₡1,565

-28.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$10.66 ₡4,794

-31.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$10.52 ₡4,731

-24.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.99 ₡6,291

-8.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$5.03 ₡2,264

-42.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.59 ₡715

-13.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.78 ₡2,149

-47.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$3.81 ₡1,713

-46.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.89 ₡1,748

-48.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.76 ₡1,690

-49.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.12 ₡504

1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$3.10 ₡1,393

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$5.86 ₡2,635

-27.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$19.61 ₡8,820

-49.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.86 ₡1,287

-44.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.59 ₡1,613

-23.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.35 ₡605

-62.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.42 ₡1,087

96.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.56 ₡699

108.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.62 ₡3,877

-37.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.58 ₡711

-3.16%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-38.34%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-43.68%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$95.5 ₡43.0K

-12.61%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$35.02 ₡15.7K

-33.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$60.1 ₡27.0K

-54.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$67.0 ₡30.1K

-15.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.71 ₡3,469

-35.15%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$980 ₡440.7K

-78.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-69.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$72.1 ₡32.4K

-39.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$56.2 ₡25.3K

-24.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$129 ₡58.2K

-43.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$134 ₡60.1K

-33.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$798 ₡358.8K

24.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$627 ₡282.1K

-39.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,922 ₡864.2K

-12.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,287 ₡578.7K

-16.03%

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

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 San Juan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

San Juan

$627 36.4% 64% $245

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

San Juan

$399 23.2% 55% $142

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

San Juan

$232 13.5% 15.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

San Juan

$191 11.1% 42% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

San Juan

$176 10.2% 58.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

San Juan

$82 4.8% 24.1% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 69.1% $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 $798 in San Juan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $61 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $399 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

27,000

💱 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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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Juan

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 San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Juan is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,584 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $798 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,723 in San Juan. That makes Playa del Carmen about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $980 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in San Juan at $1,723. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,202 versus $1,723 in San Juan. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.