Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cafayate

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,263 in Cafayate, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. The total is higher in Cafayate despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Cafayate
Learn more

Cafayate Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Cafayate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,263

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,263 in Cafayate, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Cafayate $1,263

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,114 in Cafayate, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cafayate $2,114

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,965 in Cafayate, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Cafayate $2,965

Playa del Carmen is about 5% cheaper than Cafayate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cafayate are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cafayate 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$17.28 ARS 26.7K

-38.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$56.5 ARS 87.3K

-22.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$12.77 ARS 19.7K

-7.67%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.81 ARS 5,890

-0.52%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.19 ARS 3,382

-40.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.92 ARS 2,969

-56.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.76 ARS 5,810

-16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.99 ARS 6,169

23.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.34 ARS 2,076

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.25 ARS 3,478

-2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.84 ARS 2,850

-20.11%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.71 ARS 4,194

-7.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$11.49 ARS 17.7K

-36.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$7.73 ARS 11.9K

2.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$11.59 ARS 17.9K

10.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.43 ARS 3,761

19.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.24 ARS 3,465

-38.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.49 ARS 2,305

67.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$2.66 ARS 4,109

-23.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.06 ARS 1,634

90.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.96 ARS 1,484

97.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.49 ARS 2,306

-16.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.39 ARS 5,231

25.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$5.01 ARS 7,746

95.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.06 ARS 3,179

-22.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.34 ARS 5,166

-17.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.02 ARS 1,577

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.55 ARS 2,394

207.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.24 ARS 1,916

23.39%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$25.8K ARS 39.9M

-17.78%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$32.6K ARS 50.3M

-28.54%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$123 ARS 189.9K

-32.08%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$17.16 ARS 26.5K

35.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$24.09 ARS 37.2K

14.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$31.00 ARS 47.9K

82.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$21.04 ARS 32.5K

33.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$9.41 ARS 14.5K

-46.87%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$235 ARS 362.8K

-11.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$4,135 ARS 6.4M

26.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$113 ARS 173.9K

-61.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$81.3 ARS 125.6K

-47.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$113 ARS 175.3K

-35.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$115 ARS 177.5K

-23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$518 ARS 800.3K

92.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$331 ARS 511.1K

15.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,075 ARS 1.7M

55.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$811 ARS 1.3M

33.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,298 ARS 2.0M

372.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cafayate: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Cafayate

$331 26.2% 13.5% $52

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Cafayate

$257 * 20.4% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Cafayate

$266 21% 32.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Cafayate

$164 13% 22.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Cafayate

$190 15% 70.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Cafayate

$50 3.9% 25% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cafayate

$5.6 * 0.5% 88.8% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $518 in Cafayate. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $56 in Cafayate. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇷 Cafayate

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

20:22 8:22 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

14,850

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,728 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cafayate 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cafayate

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 Cafayate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $1,263 in Cafayate – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,894 in Cafayate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cafayate, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $518 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $235 in Cafayate. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,263 in Cafayate. That makes Playa del Carmen about 5% cheaper.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,263 in Cafayate, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,263 in Cafayate. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.