Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Acarigua

For one person, living is cheaper in Acarigua: $814 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Acarigua
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Acarigua Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Acarigua

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Acarigua

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Acarigua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $814 in Acarigua.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Acarigua $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,439 in Acarigua.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Acarigua $1,439

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,064 in Acarigua.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Acarigua $2,064

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 48% more expensive than in Acarigua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Acarigua 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$10.75 VES 9,541

1.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$68.6 VES 60.9K

-36.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.98 VES 9,739

7.29%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$3.74 VES 3,314

1.87%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$1.50 VES 1,332

-14.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$1.30 VES 1,156

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$2.05 VES 1,815

54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$3.06 VES 2,717

61.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$2.79 VES 2,472

-49.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$2.22 VES 1,966

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.83 VES 1,623

-22.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$4.80 VES 4,263

-47.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.36 VES 9,192

-29.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$9.49 VES 8,420

-18.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.30 VES 10.0K

12.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$7.32 VES 6,492

-62.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$2.04 VES 1,812

-32.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$2.13 VES 1,893

19.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$2.34 VES 2,079

-9.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$2.27 VES 2,014

-14.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$2.14 VES 1,900

-11.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.56 VES 1,384

-26.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$2.30 VES 2,045

-48.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$4.61 VES 4,095

-6.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.81 VES 10.5K

-15.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.37 VES 1,215

15.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.08 VES 1,849

28.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$5.06 VES 4,494

-1.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$2.76 VES 2,451

20.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$15.12 VES 13.4K

-64.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.85 VES 757

69.41%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$24.5K VES 21.7M

-15.69%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$39.5K VES 35.1M

-40.65%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$21.88 VES 19.4K

287.52%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$11.90 VES 10.6K

96.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$37.79 VES 33.5K

-24.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$6.61 VES 5,869

-22.24%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$158 VES 140.4K

30.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$6,135 VES 5.4M

-35.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$80.8 VES 71.7K

-46.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$51.6 VES 45.8K

-19.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$135 VES 119.4K

-44.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$135 VES 120.2K

-34.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$643 VES 570.4K

857.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-47.95%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Acarigua: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Acarigua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Acarigua

$338 41.5% 32.5% $83

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Acarigua

$191 23.5% 5.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Acarigua

$72 8.8% 47.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Acarigua

$181 22.3% 62.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Acarigua

$13 * 1.6% 80.3% $54

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Acarigua

$19 * 2.3% 62.6% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $69 in Acarigua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $338 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇪 Acarigua

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

02:26 2:26 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

205,933

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 887 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 995 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Acarigua 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Acarigua

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

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

Acarigua is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,221 in Acarigua 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.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $814 in Acarigua – Acarigua is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $814 in Acarigua versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Acarigua but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Acarigua 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.