Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and El Calafate Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and El Calafate

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 12.2% more expensive than El Calafate without rent, and 30.6% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 6.6% cheaper than El Calafate without rent, and 42.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
El Calafate
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$10.66 ARS 14.5K
8.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$33.78 ARS 45.9K
26.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$9.17 ARS 12.5K
15.59%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.67 ARS 3,629
34.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$1.66 ARS 2,260
-12.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$1.54 ARS 2,097
-41.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.13 ARS 2,898
42.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$2.94 ARS 4,000
55.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
El Calafate
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.31 ARS 1,787
10.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.57 ARS 2,131
16.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$2.05 ARS 2,784
-21.46%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.25 ARS 3,058
12.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$9.91 ARS 13.5K
-13.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$6.15 ARS 8,361
37.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$9.17 ARS 12.5K
18.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.01 ARS 2,739
35.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$2.08 ARS 2,835
-28.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.32 ARS 1,793
46.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$2.52 ARS 3,430
-14.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.13 ARS 1,539
63.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.25 ARS 1,702
75.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.31 ARS 1,785
-18.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.42 ARS 1,934
-23.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$3.05 ARS 4,150
33.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$5.01 ARS 6,815
108.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$2.05 ARS 2,792
-19.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$3.09 ARS 4,199
-17.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
El Calafate
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.78 ARS 1,061
-28.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.47 ARS 2,005
113.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.86 ARS 1,166
175.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$5.96 ARS 8,107
-45.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.10 ARS 1,489
19.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$27.3K ARS 37.2M
11.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$30.0K ARS 40.8M
-20.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
El Calafate
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$68.2 ARS 92.8K
21.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$17.35 ARS 23.6K
27.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$22.31 ARS 30.3K
31.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
El Calafate
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$26.30 ARS 35.8K
94.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$13.74 ARS 18.7K
36.03%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$6.35 ARS 8,640
-22.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
El Calafate
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$218 ARS 296.4K
-8.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$2,703 ARS 3.7M
92.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
El Calafate
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$73.8 ARS 100.3K
-51.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$69.8 ARS 95.0K
-43.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$117 ARS 158.9K
-31.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$113 ARS 154.3K
-22.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
El Calafate
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$331 ARS 450.3K
190.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$242 ARS 328.5K
99.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$682 ARS 927.3K
141.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$537 ARS 730.9K
121.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$1,863 ARS 2.5M
112.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$1,608 ARS 2.2M
305.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
El Calafate
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
58.5
-80.48%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for El Calafate: April 12, 2026

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

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