Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Coco and in Mexico City: $1,676 and $1,608 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Coco and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Coco and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,676 in Playa del Coco versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Playa del Coco $1,676
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,700 in Playa del Coco versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Playa del Coco $2,700
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,724 in Playa del Coco versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Playa del Coco $3,724
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Playa del Coco is roughly 4% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Playa del Coco 23% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.46 ₡8,328

$10.62 MX$198

73.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 ₡26.2K

$48.35 MX$901

20.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 ₡6,030

$10.35 MX$193

29.08%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,965

$3.69 MX$68.8

17.89%

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

$2.65 ₡1,197

$1.67 MX$31.07

58.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.27 MX$23.59

25.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ₡1,613

$3.19 MX$59.5

12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₡2,774

$5.31 MX$98.9

15.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,039

$1.72 MX$32.15

33.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,260

$3.04 MX$56.7

-8.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,102

$1.94 MX$36.19

25.77%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,605

$2.89 MX$53.8

23.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,764

$10.97 MX$205

-3.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,776

$9.25 MX$172

14.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 ₡7,264

$15.13 MX$282

6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$3.05 MX$56.8

82.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ₡798

$1.94 MX$36.19

-8.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$2.03 MX$37.75

89.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,614

$2.31 MX$43.15

54.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 ₡1,548

$2.04 MX$37.94

68.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,386

$1.80 MX$33.55

70.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₡542

$1.48 MX$27.58

-18.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,206

$1.27 MX$23.63

110.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 ₡2,623

$5.30 MX$98.9

9.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.66 ₡7,517

$16.10 MX$300

3.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,131

$1.98 MX$36.97

26.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,194

$4.25 MX$79.3

-37.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡600

$0.31 MX$5.69

329.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$1.84 MX$34.25

33.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.53 MX$9.94

192.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 ₡4,198

$5.30 MX$98.7

75.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡714

$1.51 MX$28.16

4.64%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$21.8K MX$405.5K

57.79%

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

$41.0K ₡18.5M

$24.0K MX$447.1K

70.82%

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

$93.6 ₡42.2K

$63.0 MX$1,174

48.60%

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

$29.79 ₡13.4K

$27.39 MX$511

8.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 ₡26.3K

$35.67 MX$665

63.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ₡32.1K

$58.9 MX$1,099

20.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 ₡3,240

$6.40 MX$119

12.19%

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

$756 ₡340.9K

$432 MX$8,045

75.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$11.4K MX$212.9K

48.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 ₡37.1K

$68.2 MX$1,272

20.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.1K

$53.1 MX$990

4.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₡49.6K

$108 MX$2,009

2.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₡52.5K

$117 MX$2,186

-0.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 ₡397.8K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-20.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ₡252.1K

$710 MX$13.2K

-21.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,979 ₡893.1K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-23.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ₡538.1K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-15.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-84.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$772 ₡348.3K

$946 MX$17.6K

-18.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.35

-24.05%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 27.2% $152

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 16.8% $64

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 30.8% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 30.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 4.8% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 16% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 63.8% $9.9

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 $882 in Playa del Coco and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58 in Playa del Coco vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

Same time as Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Coco Mexico City 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Coco
Mexico City

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 Coco vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Coco and Mexico City differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,676 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Playa del Coco. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $882 in Playa del Coco versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $756 in Playa del Coco versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $58 in Playa del Coco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.