Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Formosa

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Formosa: $1,204 and $1,250 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Formosa
Learn more

Formosa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Formosa

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,250 in Formosa.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Formosa $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,112 in Formosa.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Formosa $2,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,973 in Formosa.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Formosa $2,973

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 4% less than in Formosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Formosa 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$18.95 ARS 29.1K

-42.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$53.7 ARS 82.6K

-19.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$11.11 ARS 17.1K

6.03%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$3.57 ARS 5,486

6.72%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$2.34 ARS 3,593

-45.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$2.11 ARS 3,241

-63.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$3.86 ARS 5,935

-17.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$3.91 ARS 6,013

26.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$1.21 ARS 1,859

16.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$2.40 ARS 3,691

-7.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$2.01 ARS 3,088

-29.35%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$2.43 ARS 3,740

3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.75 ARS 16.5K

-32.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.84 ARS 12.1K

-1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$11.29 ARS 17.4K

12.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$2.25 ARS 3,465

23.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$2.21 ARS 3,407

-38.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$1.45 ARS 2,234

75.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$3.04 ARS 4,671

-30.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$1.02 ARS 1,568

90.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$0.90 ARS 1,387

110.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$1.54 ARS 2,375

-23.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$3.18 ARS 4,891

35.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$5.62 ARS 8,640

77.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$2.07 ARS 3,190

-23.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$2.98 ARS 4,584

-10.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$1.12 ARS 1,718

-50.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$1.45 ARS 2,228

242.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.19 ARS 1,830

21.01%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$23.5K ARS 36.2M

-12.15%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$30.6K ARS 47.0M

-23.22%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$126 ARS 194.4K

-32.90%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$19.23 ARS 29.6K

21.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$27.25 ARS 41.9K

5.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$29.34 ARS 45.1K

94.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

$21.72 ARS 33.4K

33.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$8.55 ARS 13.2K

-39.88%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$208 ARS 319.2K

-0.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$4,398 ARS 6.8M

-10.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$114 ARS 175.7K

-62.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$74.4 ARS 114.5K

-44.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$114 ARS 175.6K

-35.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$105 ARS 162.3K

-15.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$536 ARS 824.4K

82.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$312 ARS 480.6K

21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$1,093 ARS 1.7M

56.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$831 ARS 1.3M

29.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$1,357 ARS 2.1M

353.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Formosa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Formosa

$312 25% 18% $68

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Formosa

$256 * 20.5% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Formosa

$273 21.8% 34.7% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Formosa

$173 13.8% 26.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Formosa

$184 14.7% 64.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Formosa

$46 3.7% 31% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Formosa

$5.9 * 0.5% 88.3% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $536 in Formosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $54 in Formosa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $256 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇷 Formosa

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

14:49 2:49 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

234,354

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Formosa 6,070 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Formosa

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 Formosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and eating out. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,874 in Formosa 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $536 in Formosa. 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 $43 versus $54 in Formosa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $208 in Formosa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.