Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pergamino

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,373 in Pergamino, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Pergamino
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,373
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,373 in Pergamino, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Pergamino $1,373

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,093 in Pergamino, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Pergamino $2,093

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,813 in Pergamino, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Pergamino $2,813

Playa del Carmen is about 12% cheaper than Pergamino, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Pergamino is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pergamino
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$197
$14.87 ARS 22.6K
-27.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$787
$30.45 ARS 46.2K
41.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$216
$13.18 ARS 20.0K
-10.55%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$70.7
$3.84 ARS 5,823
0.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.03
$2.03 ARS 3,074
-32.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.29
$1.47 ARS 2,231
-42.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$56.7
$3.89 ARS 5,898
-20.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$92.7
$2.04 ARS 3,088
148.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pergamino
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.28
$1.42 ARS 2,151
1.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$40.81
$2.52 ARS 3,815
-11.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$26.89
$1.66 ARS 2,523
-11.45%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.24
$2.39 ARS 3,618
5.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$134
$10.62 ARS 16.1K
-31.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$144
$3.05 ARS 4,620
157.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$234
$11.84 ARS 17.9K
8.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.1
$2.86 ARS 4,331
1.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.26
$2.16 ARS 3,273
-33.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$46.59
$1.41 ARS 2,135
80.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$37.64
$1.98 ARS 2,998
4.04%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.60
$1.21 ARS 1,829
65.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$36.69
$1.25 ARS 1,899
60.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$21.79
$1.68 ARS 2,544
-29.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$22.99
$1.69 ARS 2,566
-25.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$80.6
$4.32 ARS 6,548
1.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$175
$5.63 ARS 8,536
70.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.12
$1.94 ARS 2,943
-18.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.4
$2.83 ARS 4,287
-0.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pergamino
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.36
$1.13 ARS 1,720
-49.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$509
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$91.2
$1.64 ARS 2,485
203.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.0
$0.82 ARS 1,243
326.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$98.8
$8.04 ARS 12.2K
-32.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$26.80
$1.13 ARS 1,719
30.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$383.9K
$20.2K ARS 30.7M
3.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$437.3K
$24.8K ARS 37.6M
-3.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pergamino
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,540
$197 ARS 298.9K
-57.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$439
$25.68 ARS 38.9K
-6.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$531
$31.01 ARS 47.0K
-6.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pergamino
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,152
$31.68 ARS 48.0K
98.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$533
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$90.4
$10.27 ARS 15.6K
-51.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pergamino
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,725
$462 ARS 700.6K
-55.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.1K
$8,795 ARS 13.3M
-55.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pergamino
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$798
$119 ARS 180.9K
-63.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$789
$95.6 ARS 145.0K
-54.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,386
$117 ARS 178.0K
-35.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,620
$137 ARS 207.2K
-35.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pergamino
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.4K
$486 ARS 736.6K
107.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,841
$363 ARS 550.3K
3.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.3K
$885 ARS 1.3M
93.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.2K
$747 ARS 1.1M
48.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$112.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pergamino
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
57.25
-80.00%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pergamino: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Pergamino
$363 3% $11
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Pergamino
$241 6.9% $18
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Pergamino
$242 19.7% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Pergamino
$254 85% $117
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Pergamino
$211 86.8% $98
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Pergamino
$52 28.3% $21
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Pergamino
$10 * 80.5% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $486 in Pergamino. 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $30.00 in Pergamino. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $241 – making Pergamino the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇦🇷 Pergamino
🕒 Local time
13:12 1:12 PM
15:12 3:12 PM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
104,086
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.29 MXN (100 MXN = 5.47 USD). 1 EUR = 20.42 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Pergamino 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Pergamino

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 Pergamino: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pergamino cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Pergamino is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,059 in Pergamino. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Pergamino?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,373 in Pergamino. That's a gap of about 13%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $462 in Pergamino. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Pergamino?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Pergamino at $1,373. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pergamino it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Pergamino more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Pergamino?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pergamino makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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