Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cordoba

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,351 in Cordoba, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Cordoba
Learn more

Cordoba Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Cordoba

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,351 in Cordoba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Cordoba $1,351

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,281 in Cordoba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Cordoba $2,281

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,211 in Cordoba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Cordoba $3,211

Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper than Cordoba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Cordoba is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$200

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-20.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$816

$53.3 ARS 80.8K

-15.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$217

$13.21 ARS 20.0K

-9.77%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.2

$3.70 ARS 5,608

2.70%

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

$1.31 MX$23.86

$2.56 ARS 3,879

-48.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.58

$2.03 ARS 3,073

-57.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$58.4

$3.36 ARS 5,097

-4.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$91.2

$3.64 ARS 5,515

37.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.53

$1.63 ARS 2,470

-10.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.33

$2.82 ARS 4,282

-17.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.24

$2.06 ARS 3,120

-30.10%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$44.78

$2.45 ARS 3,721

0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$140

$10.14 ARS 15.4K

-24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$144

$8.19 ARS 12.4K

-3.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$233

$11.48 ARS 17.4K

11.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.1

$2.56 ARS 3,885

14.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.87

$2.30 ARS 3,489

-38.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$46.66

$1.66 ARS 2,511

54.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$38.88

$2.75 ARS 4,169

-22.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.42

$1.17 ARS 1,779

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.22

$1.35 ARS 2,040

43.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.94

$1.26 ARS 1,908

-8.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.21

$1.68 ARS 2,554

-27.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$79.6

$4.99 ARS 7,562

-12.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$179

$4.86 ARS 7,365

102.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$27.97

$2.26 ARS 3,431

-31.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.40

$3.66 ARS 5,552

-25.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.55

$1.27 ARS 1,930

-59.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$499

$57.3 ARS 86.8K

-52.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$89.4

$1.28 ARS 1,946

283.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.1

$1.94 ARS 2,944

81.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$103

$7.12 ARS 10.8K

-20.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.01

$1.16 ARS 1,760

32.76%

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

$21.2K MX$386.3K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-39.33%

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

$24.5K MX$445.4K

$36.1K ARS 54.7M

-32.11%

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

$83.6 MX$1,521

$159 ARS 241.2K

-47.45%

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

$24.03 MX$437

$17.46 ARS 26.5K

37.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$534

$32.30 ARS 49.0K

-9.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,180

$28.56 ARS 43.3K

127.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$536

$23.34 ARS 35.4K

26.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$92.5

$10.11 ARS 15.3K

-49.65%

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

$208 MX$3,778

$218 ARS 330.9K

-4.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$73.6K

$4,151 ARS 6.3M

-2.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$810

$127 ARS 192.7K

-64.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$765

$103 ARS 156.8K

-59.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,374

$141 ARS 213.1K

-46.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,662

$134 ARS 202.8K

-31.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$17.9K

$489 ARS 741.6K

101.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,007

$306 ARS 464.4K

25.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.2K

$1,001 ARS 1.5M

71.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.2K

$792 ARS 1.2M

39.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.0K

$2,762 ARS 4.2M

45.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$113.6K

$1,591 ARS 2.4M

292.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.8K

$656 ARS 994.2K

15.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

48.5

-76.39%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cordoba: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Cordoba

$306 22.3% 20.5% $79

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Cordoba

$275 20% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Cordoba

$236 17.2% 15.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Cordoba

$209 15.2% 52.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Cordoba

$227 16.5% 99.2% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Cordoba

$49 3.6% 35% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Cordoba

$73 5.3% 41% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $489 in Cordoba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 16% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $53.0 in Cordoba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $275 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇷 Cordoba

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

22:17 10:17 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,655,481

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cordoba 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cordoba

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 Cordoba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cordoba is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,027 in Cordoba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $53.0 in Cordoba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,351 in Cordoba. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Cordoba at $1,351. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cordoba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cordoba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.