Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,769 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
Learn more

San Rafael Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,769

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,769 per month in San Rafael vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Rafael $1,769
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,849 per month in San Rafael vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Rafael $2,849
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,928 per month in San Rafael vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Rafael $3,928
Playa del Carmen $2,959

San Rafael costs about 47% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Rafael sits 30% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.08 ₡5,453

$10.92 MX$204

10.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$43.37 MX$810

40.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 ₡5,181

$11.78 MX$220

-2.55%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,052

$3.81 MX$71.2

19.42%

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

$2.72 ₡1,228

$1.28 MX$23.96

112.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡874

$0.78 MX$14.63

148.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ₡1,459

$3.17 MX$59.2

1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,054

$4.93 MX$92.2

-7.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₡1,049

$1.41 MX$26.28

64.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₡1,441

$2.22 MX$41.43

43.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$1.42 MX$26.48

68.31%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,608

$2.52 MX$47.14

41.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.85 ₡4,896

$7.26 MX$136

49.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₡4,670

$7.70 MX$144

34.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 ₡6,341

$12.69 MX$237

10.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 ₡2,381

$2.78 MX$52.0

89.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₡712

$1.37 MX$25.56

15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.85 ₡2,189

$2.55 MX$47.66

90.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,736

$2.12 MX$39.67

81.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,753

$1.94 MX$36.22

100.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.70 ₡1,671

$1.89 MX$35.24

95.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡489

$1.15 MX$21.42

-6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₡1,434

$1.18 MX$22.03

169.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.10 ₡2,755

$4.30 MX$80.3

41.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 ₡8,922

$9.95 MX$186

98.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,283

$1.58 MX$29.59

79.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₡1,642

$2.67 MX$49.91

36.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡601

$0.55 MX$10.34

141.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ₡1,071

$4.97 MX$92.9

-52.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡706

$3.33 MX$62.2

-53.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₡3,995

$5.36 MX$100

65.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡680

$1.44 MX$26.98

4.86%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

66.96%

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

$41.5K ₡18.7M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

76.80%

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

$96.7 ₡43.6K

$84.8 MX$1,584

13.99%

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

$36.26 ₡16.4K

$23.41 MX$437

54.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 ₡26.9K

$28.66 MX$535

108.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 ₡32.1K

$57.1 MX$1,066

24.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ₡3,525

$5.14 MX$96.0

51.95%

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

$970 ₡437.9K

$207 MX$3,860

369.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

338.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 ₡32.6K

$43.35 MX$810

66.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.2K

$41.44 MX$774

34.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.9K

$74.2 MX$1,386

76.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$89.3 MX$1,668

46.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 ₡364.7K

$980 MX$18.3K

-17.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ₡300.8K

$381 MX$7,116

75.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,030 ₡916.1K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

18.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ₡645.8K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

33.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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 Rafael: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael

$667 37.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 42.9% $286

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$403 22.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 36.7% $148

Eating Out

San Rafael

$230 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 11.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$193 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 28.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$175 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 36.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$87 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 22.5% $20

Getting Around

San Rafael

$16 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 225% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $808 in San Rafael versus $980 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 Rafael versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

1 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

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 = 5.35 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 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 = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

San Rafael
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 Rafael vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Rafael is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,654 per month in San Rafael and $1,806 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 Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $808 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,769 in San Rafael and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 47%.

Kindergarten costs $970 per month in San Rafael 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 $1,204, than in San Rafael at $1,769. 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,769 in San Rafael. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.