Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vazquez de Coronado and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,764 in Vazquez de Coronado, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Vazquez de Coronado
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Vazquez de Coronado Living Index
58

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

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Vazquez de Coronado

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,764

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,764 per month in Vazquez de Coronado vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vazquez de Coronado $1,764
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,824 per month in Vazquez de Coronado vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vazquez de Coronado $2,824
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,884 per month in Vazquez de Coronado vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vazquez de Coronado $3,884
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Vazquez de Coronado costs about 46% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vazquez de Coronado 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

$12.02 ₡5,426

$10.92 MX$204

10.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$43.37 MX$808

40.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 ₡5,180

$11.78 MX$220

-2.55%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ₡1,978

$3.81 MX$71.0

14.96%

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

$2.72 ₡1,228

$1.28 MX$23.90

112.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡869

$0.78 MX$14.59

147.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 ₡1,491

$3.17 MX$59.0

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,054

$4.93 MX$92.0

-7.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,038

$1.41 MX$26.22

63.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,376

$2.22 MX$41.33

37.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,092

$1.42 MX$26.42

70.42%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.52 MX$47.03

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,770

$7.26 MX$135

45.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₡4,670

$7.70 MX$143

34.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ₡6,201

$12.69 MX$237

8.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,268

$2.78 MX$51.9

80.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡740

$1.37 MX$25.50

19.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 ₡2,200

$2.55 MX$47.55

91.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,733

$2.12 MX$39.58

81.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,768

$1.94 MX$36.13

102.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,691

$1.89 MX$35.16

98.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡507

$1.15 MX$21.37

-2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 ₡1,463

$1.18 MX$21.98

174.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 ₡2,597

$4.30 MX$80.1

33.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.27 ₡9,146

$9.95 MX$185

103.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,269

$1.58 MX$29.52

77.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,618

$2.67 MX$49.79

34.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ₡565

$0.55 MX$10.31

127.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$4.97 MX$92.6

-51.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡729

$3.33 MX$62.1

-51.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₡3,994

$5.36 MX$99.8

65.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡686

$1.44 MX$26.92

5.56%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

63.45%

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

$42.6K ₡19.2M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

81.63%

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

$96.4 ₡43.5K

$84.8 MX$1,581

13.69%

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

$36.34 ₡16.4K

$23.41 MX$436

55.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 ₡26.5K

$28.66 MX$534

105.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ₡29.2K

$57.1 MX$1,063

13.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ₡3,510

$5.14 MX$95.8

51.36%

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

$966 ₡435.9K

$207 MX$3,851

367.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

332.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 ₡32.2K

$43.35 MX$808

64.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$41.44 MX$772

33.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.1K

$74.2 MX$1,383

70.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.9K

$89.3 MX$1,664

48.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 ₡370.3K

$980 MX$18.3K

-16.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 ₡304.8K

$381 MX$7,099

77.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,771 ₡799.0K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 ₡639.1K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

31.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

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 Vazquez de Coronado: 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

Vazquez de Coronado

$676 38.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 43.6% $295

Groceries & Markets

Vazquez de Coronado

$400 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 36.3% $145

Eating Out

Vazquez de Coronado

$227 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 11% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vazquez de Coronado

$192 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 28.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Vazquez de Coronado

$174 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Vazquez de Coronado

$80 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 16.2% $13

Getting Around

Vazquez de Coronado

$15 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 226% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $821 in Vazquez de Coronado 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 Vazquez de Coronado versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Vazquez de Coronado

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

1 h ahead of Vazquez de Coronado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,669

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 = 5.36 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 29, 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 29, 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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Highest

Between locations

Vazquez de Coronado Playa del Carmen 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Vazquez de Coronado
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

Vazquez de Coronado vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vazquez de Coronado is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,646 per month in Vazquez de Coronado 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 Vazquez de Coronado, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $821 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,764 in Vazquez de Coronado and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 32% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $966 per month in Vazquez de Coronado 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 Vazquez de Coronado at $1,764. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vazquez de Coronado 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 $1,764 in Vazquez de Coronado. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.