Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Barquisimeto

For one person, living is cheaper in Barquisimeto: $793 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Barquisimeto
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Barquisimeto Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Barquisimeto

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Barquisimeto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $793 in Barquisimeto.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Barquisimeto $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,355 in Barquisimeto.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Barquisimeto $1,355

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,917 in Barquisimeto.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Barquisimeto $1,917

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 52% more expensive than in Barquisimeto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Barquisimeto 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$9.81 VES 8,757

8.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$49.18 VES 43.9K

-10.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$11.69 VES 10.4K

0.86%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$1.72 VES 1,540

120.35%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$1.54 VES 1,371

-15.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$1.13 VES 1,011

-26.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$1.22 VES 1,092

158.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$3.27 VES 2,923

50.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$2.06 VES 1,838

-31.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$1.32 VES 1,181

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.31 VES 1,173

12.21%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$2.19 VES 1,950

14.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.19 VES 5,527

17.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$6.73 VES 6,008

18.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$6.89 VES 6,155

86.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$4.42 VES 3,949

-34.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.53 VES 1,370

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$0.78 VES 694

219.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$0.97 VES 865

109.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$0.94 VES 841

114.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.32 VES 1,177

43.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$0.64 VES 575

78.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$1.52 VES 1,361

-18.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$2.94 VES 2,621

45.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$10.02 VES 8,949

-2.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.25 VES 1,117

27.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$2.75 VES 2,451

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$0.43 VES 384

18.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$40.79 VES 36.4K

-32.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$4.99 VES 4,452

-4.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$1.53 VES 1,366

112.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$14.95 VES 13.3K

-63.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$0.73 VES 654

109.59%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$25.3K VES 22.6M

-16.24%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$30.2K VES 27.0M

-23.10%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$15.56 VES 13.9K

436.57%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$7.51 VES 6,702

208.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$36.87 VES 32.9K

-25.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$33.58 VES 30.0K

68.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$8.39 VES 7,491

236.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$5.05 VES 4,509

-0.99%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$57.5 VES 51.3K

260.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$502 VES 448.2K

941.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$47.24 VES 42.2K

-8.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$39.90 VES 35.6K

6.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$92.9 VES 82.9K

-21.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$80.1 VES 71.5K

10.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$212 VES 189.3K

369.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$142 VES 126.3K

170.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$473 VES 421.9K

254.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$322 VES 287.3K

235.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$464 VES 414.0K

742.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$248 VES 221.4K

2374.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$185 VES 165.2K

349.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-54.20%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barquisimeto: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Barquisimeto

$142 17.8% 63% $241

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Barquisimeto

$218 27.5% 15.3% $39

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Barquisimeto

$158 19.9% 21.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Barquisimeto

$60 7.6% 55.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Barquisimeto

$117 14.8% 5.3% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Barquisimeto

$44 5.5% 34.3% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Barquisimeto

$55 7% 9.3% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $212 in Barquisimeto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $49 in Barquisimeto. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $218, with Barquisimeto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇪 Barquisimeto

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

13:39 1:39 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,240,714

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.97 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 893 VES (1,000 VES = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 1,003 VES (10,000 VES = 9.97 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Barquisimeto 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Barquisimeto

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 Barquisimeto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $793 in Barquisimeto, so Barquisimeto is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 4.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $212 in Barquisimeto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $49 in Barquisimeto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $793 in Barquisimeto – Barquisimeto is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $793 in Barquisimeto versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Barquisimeto but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Barquisimeto 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 – Barquisimeto 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.