Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,718 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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 Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,718 in San Rafael, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
San Rafael $1,718

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,741 in San Rafael, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Rafael $2,741

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,765 in San Rafael, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
San Rafael $3,765

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$12.45 ₡5,597

-14.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$62.3 ₡28.0K

-29.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$11.82 ₡5,315

-0.25%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$4.34 ₡1,951

-12.67%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.61 ₡1,174

-50.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.93 ₡866

-56.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.30 ₡1,484

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.46 ₡2,007

10.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.31 ₡1,039

-38.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.06 ₡1,375

-28.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.39 ₡1,074

-38.49%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.53 ₡1,589

-29.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$10.70 ₡4,813

-31.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$10.61 ₡4,772

-25.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.86 ₡6,232

-7.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$5.12 ₡2,301

-43.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.60 ₡717

-13.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.89 ₡2,197

-49.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$3.82 ₡1,718

-46.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.72 ₡1,671

-45.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.71 ₡1,666

-48.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.13 ₡509

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$3.20 ₡1,439

-61.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$6.00 ₡2,696

-28.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$19.67 ₡8,846

-50.13%

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

$3.55 ₡1,595

-22.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.35 ₡607

-62.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.46 ₡1,107

93.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.62 ₡728

100.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.85 ₡3,978

-39.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.56 ₡702

-1.92%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-37.49%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$42.2K ₡19.0M

-44.89%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$96.5 ₡43.4K

-13.47%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$35.72 ₡16.1K

-35.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$59.7 ₡26.9K

-53.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$68.3 ₡30.7K

-17.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.73 ₡3,478

-35.32%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$985 ₡442.8K

-78.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-69.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$72.3 ₡32.5K

-39.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$56.9 ₡25.6K

-25.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$127 ₡56.9K

-42.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$133 ₡59.6K

-33.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$795 ₡357.3K

25.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$621 ₡279.3K

-38.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,888 ₡849.2K

-11.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,271 ₡571.8K

-15.01%

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 Rafael: 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 Rafael

$621 36.1% 62.4% $239

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

San Rafael

$400 23.3% 55.5% $143

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

San Rafael

$231 13.4% 15.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

San Rafael

$192 11.2% 42.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

San Rafael

$175 10.2% 57.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

San Rafael

$84 4.9% 26.1% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Rafael

$16 * 0.9% 68.4% $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 $795 in San Rafael. 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 $62 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $400 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

30,000

💱 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 San Rafael 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Rafael 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 $2,577 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $795 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,718 in San Rafael. That makes Playa del Carmen about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $985 in San Rafael. 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 Rafael at $1,718. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Rafael 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 $1,718 in San Rafael. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.