Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,596

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,596 per month in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,596
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,398 per month in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,398
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,200 per month in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,200
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon costs about 32% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon sits 18% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 ₡5,353

$10.76 MX$199

10.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.58 ₡20.0K

$43.03 MX$795

3.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 ₡4,855

$11.79 MX$218

-8.23%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₡1,808

$3.87 MX$71.4

4.13%

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

$2.38 ₡1,067

$1.37 MX$25.29

73.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₡819

$0.84 MX$15.44

117.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$3.10 MX$57.3

8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ₡1,800

$5.07 MX$93.6

-20.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₡931

$1.44 MX$26.55

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,418

$2.23 MX$41.23

41.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,089

$1.47 MX$27.17

65.31%

Eggs

$3.07 ₡1,378

$2.53 MX$46.71

21.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 ₡2,942

$7.30 MX$135

-10.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 ₡3,479

$7.86 MX$145

-1.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ₡6,350

$12.79 MX$236

10.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 ₡1,161

$2.90 MX$53.6

-10.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.44 MX$26.53

-22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ₡576

$2.55 MX$47.07

-49.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 ₡781

$2.06 MX$38.03

-15.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ₡1,165

$2.00 MX$36.97

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ₡881

$2.01 MX$37.07

-1.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ₡311

$1.19 MX$22.02

-42.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₡898

$1.26 MX$23.23

58.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₡1,398

$4.40 MX$81.4

-29.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 ₡6,773

$9.59 MX$177

57.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,284

$1.59 MX$29.41

79.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ₡1,663

$2.81 MX$51.9

32.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡582

$0.57 MX$10.47

128.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.11 ₡19.3K

$27.82 MX$514

54.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡825

$4.98 MX$92.1

-63.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$3.50 MX$64.6

-56.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,814

$5.40 MX$99.8

57.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡674

$1.47 MX$27.08

2.04%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

6.11%

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

$35.0K ₡15.7M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

46.61%

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

$95.5 ₡42.8K

$84.2 MX$1,556

13.45%

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

$35.40 ₡15.9K

$23.99 MX$443

47.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.86 ₡14.7K

$29.02 MX$536

13.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.5 ₡33.0K

$63.0 MX$1,164

16.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,458

$4.94 MX$91.3

56.07%

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

$972 ₡435.8K

$204 MX$3,763

377.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

332.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.6 ₡29.0K

$43.60 MX$806

48.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.92 ₡11.6K

$43.12 MX$797

-39.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 ₡43.5K

$75.8 MX$1,400

27.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.5 ₡24.4K

$88.6 MX$1,637

-38.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₡309.3K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₡295.6K

$374 MX$6,911

76.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 ₡888.2K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

15.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 ₡508.8K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

2.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$976 ₡437.6K

$754 MX$13.9K

29.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.45

-24.72%

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

Last update for Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$659 41.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 43.3% $285

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$299 18.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 13.7% $41

Eating Out

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 7.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$164 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 16.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$109 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 3.7% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$89 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 18.1% $16

Getting Around

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 9.2% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. 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 29% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

1 h ahead of Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Playa del Carmen 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
Playa del Carmen

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

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,394 per month in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon at $1,596. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.