Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maracaibo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracaibo: $784 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Maracaibo
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Maracaibo Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Maracaibo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$784

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $784 in Maracaibo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Maracaibo $784
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,297 in Maracaibo versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Maracaibo $1,297
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,811 in Maracaibo versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Maracaibo $1,811
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Maracaibo costs roughly 35% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Maracaibo 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.33 VES 9,151

$10.92 MX$204

-5.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.75 VES 35.2K

$43.37 MX$808

-8.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 VES 7,767

$11.78 MX$220

-25.55%

Cappuccino

$2.75 VES 2,439

$3.81 MX$71.0

-27.82%

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

$1.15 VES 1,019

$1.28 MX$23.90

-10.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 VES 1,158

$0.78 MX$14.59

67.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 VES 1,961

$3.17 MX$59.0

-30.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 VES 2,725

$4.93 MX$92.0

-37.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 VES 1,742

$1.41 MX$26.22

39.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 VES 1,872

$2.22 MX$41.33

-4.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 VES 952

$1.42 MX$26.42

-24.65%

Eggs

$3.78 VES 3,347

$2.52 MX$47.03

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 VES 5,803

$7.26 MX$135

-9.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 VES 5,655

$7.70 MX$143

-17.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 VES 6,527

$12.69 MX$237

-41.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 VES 4,274

$2.78 MX$51.9

73.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 VES 1,201

$1.37 MX$25.50

-0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 VES 1,384

$2.55 MX$47.55

-38.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 VES 1,204

$2.12 MX$39.58

-35.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 VES 1,094

$1.94 MX$36.13

-36.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 VES 1,542

$1.89 MX$35.16

-7.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 VES 902

$1.15 MX$21.37

-11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 VES 1,755

$1.18 MX$21.98

67.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 VES 2,595

$4.30 MX$80.1

-31.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 VES 8,047

$9.95 MX$185

-8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 VES 966

$1.58 MX$29.52

-31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 VES 2,322

$2.67 MX$49.79

-1.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 VES 416

$0.55 MX$10.31

-14.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.53 VES 37.7K

$26.62 MX$496

59.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 VES 3,618

$4.97 MX$92.6

-17.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 VES 1,727

$3.33 MX$62.1

-41.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.66 VES 15.6K

$5.36 MX$99.8

229.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 VES 656

$1.44 MX$26.92

-48.61%

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

$15.2K VES 13.4M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-26.67%

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

$27.6K VES 24.4M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

17.58%

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

$62.5 VES 55.3K

$84.8 MX$1,581

-26.34%

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

$7.45 VES 6,598

$23.41 MX$436

-68.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 VES 22.4K

$28.66 MX$534

-11.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.17 VES 29.4K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-41.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.71 VES 25.4K

$28.91 MX$539

-0.69%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 VES 4,328

$5.14 MX$95.8

-4.86%

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

$148 VES 130.9K

$207 MX$3,851

-28.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,133 VES 6.3M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

81.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.31 VES 24.2K

$43.35 MX$808

-37.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.34 VES 28.6K

$41.44 MX$772

-21.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.9 VES 54.9K

$74.2 MX$1,383

-16.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.7 VES 50.2K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-36.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$159 VES 141.1K

$980 MX$18.3K

-83.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.2 VES 84.3K

$381 MX$7,099

-75.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 VES 266.6K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-82.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 VES 173.9K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-81.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$765 VES 677.7K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-80.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$508 VES 449.6K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-91.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 VES 190.6K

$735 MX$13.7K

-70.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

74.67%

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

Last update for Maracaibo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maracaibo

$243 31%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 4.8% $12

Eating Out

Maracaibo

$169 21.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 19.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maracaibo

$95 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 43.8% $42

Accommodation & Living

Maracaibo

$95 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 300% $286

Clothing & Footwear

Maracaibo

$80 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 39.3% $32

Getting Around

Maracaibo

$58 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 13.4% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Maracaibo

$43 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 56.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $159 in Maracaibo and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Maracaibo vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $255 per month, with Maracaibo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Maracaibo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

15:07 3:07 PM

1 h behind Maracaibo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 886 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 986 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maracaibo Playa del Carmen 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Maracaibo
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

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

Maracaibo is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Maracaibo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $159 in Maracaibo versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $148 in Maracaibo versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $784 in Maracaibo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maracaibo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Maracaibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Maracaibo wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.