Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Catamarca and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Catamarca and in Playa del Carmen: $1,241 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Catamarca
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Catamarca Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Catamarca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,241

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,241 in Catamarca versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Catamarca $1,241
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,080 in Catamarca versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Catamarca $2,080
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,920 in Catamarca versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Catamarca $2,920
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Catamarca is roughly 3% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Catamarca 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 ARS 25.9K

$10.92 MX$204

54.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 ARS 97.9K

$43.37 MX$810

46.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 ARS 17.3K

$11.78 MX$220

-4.41%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ARS 5,411

$3.81 MX$71.2

-7.61%

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

$2.30 ARS 3,534

$1.28 MX$23.96

79.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ARS 3,038

$0.78 MX$14.63

152.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 ARS 6,510

$3.17 MX$59.2

33.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ARS 5,391

$4.93 MX$92.2

-29.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ARS 1,859

$1.41 MX$26.28

-14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ARS 3,183

$2.22 MX$41.43

-6.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 ARS 3,012

$1.42 MX$26.48

38.03%

Eggs

$2.79 ARS 4,294

$2.52 MX$47.14

10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.21 ARS 20.3K

$7.26 MX$136

81.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 ARS 12.9K

$7.70 MX$144

9.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 ARS 16.4K

$12.69 MX$237

-15.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ARS 3,471

$2.78 MX$52.0

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ARS 3,000

$1.37 MX$25.56

42.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$2.55 MX$47.66

-45.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ARS 3,542

$2.12 MX$39.67

8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ARS 1,674

$1.94 MX$36.22

-43.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 ARS 1,541

$1.89 MX$35.24

-47.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ARS 2,030

$1.18 MX$22.03

11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ARS 4,889

$4.30 MX$80.3

-26.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 ARS 8,583

$9.95 MX$186

-43.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ARS 2,920

$1.58 MX$29.59

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ARS 5,182

$2.67 MX$49.91

26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ARS 1,384

$0.55 MX$10.34

63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 ARS 2,665

$4.97 MX$92.9

-65.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ARS 2,044

$1.44 MX$26.98

-7.64%

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

$27.4K ARS 42.1M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

32.53%

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

$34.2K ARS 52.6M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

45.78%

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

$135 ARS 207.0K

$84.8 MX$1,584

58.71%

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

$14.59 ARS 22.4K

$23.41 MX$437

-37.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 ARS 39.2K

$28.66 MX$535

-11.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.94 ARS 55.3K

$57.1 MX$1,066

-37.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.93 ARS 27.6K

$28.91 MX$540

-37.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 ARS 12.5K

$5.14 MX$96.0

57.59%

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

$216 ARS 331.6K

$207 MX$3,860

4.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,300 ARS 6.6M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

9.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 187.2K

$43.35 MX$810

180.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.1 ARS 126.2K

$41.44 MX$774

98.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ARS 185.3K

$74.2 MX$1,386

62.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 ARS 151.9K

$89.3 MX$1,668

10.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ARS 727.0K

$980 MX$18.3K

-51.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ARS 474.9K

$381 MX$7,116

-18.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 ARS 1.8M

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-31.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ARS 1.2M

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-30.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,292 ARS 2.0M

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-79.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Catamarca: 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

Catamarca

$309 24.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 23.4% $72

Eating Out

Catamarca

$256 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 20.9% $53

Groceries & Markets

Catamarca

$254 * 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Catamarca

$190 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 41.3% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Catamarca

$175 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 21.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Catamarca

$52 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 29.1% $15

Getting Around

Catamarca

$5.3 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 847% $45

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 $473 in Catamarca and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64 in Catamarca vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $255, with Catamarca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Catamarca

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

2 h behind Catamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,058

149,923

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 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 ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Catamarca Playa del Carmen 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Catamarca
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Catamarca. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,862 in Catamarca and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $473 in Catamarca versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,241 per month in Catamarca versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $64 in Catamarca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.