Last update: Nov 2026

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

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.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
57

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

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan 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 San Juan and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

San Juan costs about 43% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 ₡5,602

$10.67 MX$198

16.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$43.80 MX$813

38.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,331

$11.79 MX$219

0.51%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,956

$3.79 MX$70.3

14.78%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.30 MX$24.09

111.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡855

$0.83 MX$15.48

128.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,502

$3.15 MX$58.4

6.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,035

$4.93 MX$91.6

-8.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,047

$1.41 MX$26.16

65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₡1,400

$2.20 MX$40.77

41.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,096

$1.47 MX$27.35

65.99%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,565

$2.50 MX$46.37

39.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,794

$7.29 MX$135

46.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,731

$7.95 MX$148

32.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,291

$12.86 MX$239

8.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,264

$2.90 MX$53.8

73.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡715

$1.38 MX$25.69

15.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 ₡2,149

$2.49 MX$46.26

91.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,713

$2.03 MX$37.70

87.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,748

$2.02 MX$37.61

92.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,690

$1.90 MX$35.35

97.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.14 MX$21.25

-1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,393

$1.24 MX$23.01

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,635

$4.27 MX$79.3

37.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.61 ₡8,820

$9.81 MX$182

99.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,287

$1.59 MX$29.45

79.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,613

$2.75 MX$51.0

30.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡605

$0.51 MX$9.56

164.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₡1,087

$4.76 MX$88.4

-49.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡699

$3.25 MX$60.3

-52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 ₡3,877

$5.39 MX$100

59.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡711

$1.53 MX$28.38

3.27%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$21.2K MX$393.9K

62.18%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$23.3K MX$432.0K

77.56%

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

$95.5 ₡43.0K

$83.5 MX$1,550

14.43%

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

$35.02 ₡15.7K

$23.19 MX$431

51.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡27.0K

$27.61 MX$513

117.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 ₡30.1K

$56.4 MX$1,048

18.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,469

$5.00 MX$92.9

54.20%

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

$980 ₡440.7K

$207 MX$3,846

373.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$5,231 MX$97.1K

228.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$43.45 MX$807

66.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.3K

$42.54 MX$790

32.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$72.8 MX$1,351

77.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$88.4 MX$1,641

51.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₡358.8K

$995 MX$18.5K

-19.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₡282.1K

$382 MX$7,102

64.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡864.2K

$1,674 MX$31.1K

14.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡578.7K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

19.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 San Juan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$627 36.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 39% $245

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$399 23.2%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.5% $142

Eating Out

San Juan

$232 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 13.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 29.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$176 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 36.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 19.4% $16

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 224% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $798 in San Juan versus $995 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.

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

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

1 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

San Juan
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

San Juan vs Playa del Carmen: 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 $2,584 per month in San Juan and $1,804 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 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 $1,723 in San Juan and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $980 per month in San Juan and $207 in Playa del Carmen. 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.