Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Port Vila

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Port Vila

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,148 in Port Vila, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Port Vila $3,148

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,290 in Port Vila, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Port Vila $4,290

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,432 in Port Vila, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Port Vila $5,432

Playa del Carmen is about 62% cheaper than Port Vila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Port Vila is 133% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$12.57 VUV 1,474

-14.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$55.9 VUV 6,558

-23.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$14.47 VUV 1,697

-18.52%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.99 VUV 468

-3.01%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.30 VUV 270

-40.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$2.35 VUV 276

-64.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$5.14 VUV 603

-39.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$7.16 VUV 839

-29.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.73 VUV 320

-47.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.97 VUV 231

13.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$3.63 VUV 426

-59.50%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$6.30 VUV 739

-59.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$17.57 VUV 2,061

-58.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$16.60 VUV 1,947

-52.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$13.68 VUV 1,604

-6.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$7.13 VUV 837

-59.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.15 VUV 252

-33.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.86 VUV 453

-33.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$9.44 VUV 1,107

-78.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$9.13 VUV 1,071

-78.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$3.47 VUV 407

-42.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.58 VUV 303

-53.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.20 VUV 140

5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$9.06 VUV 1,063

-51.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$12.51 VUV 1,467

-23.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.45 VUV 287

-35.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.70 VUV 316

4.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.29 VUV 151

-55.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$68.6 VUV 8,052

-59.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.57 VUV 302

93.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.88 VUV 103

297.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$5.19 VUV 609

4.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.76 VUV 206

-16.48%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$22.8K VUV 2.7M

-8.11%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$37.9K VUV 4.5M

-36.99%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$636 VUV 74.6K

-86.75%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$22.30 VUV 2,615

7.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$362 VUV 42.4K

-91.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$67.7 VUV 7,936

-6.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$16.93 VUV 1,986

72.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

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

$204 MX$3,763

$631 VUV 74.0K

-67.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,973 VUV 818.0K

-43.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$41.45 VUV 4,862

5.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$67.0 VUV 7,856

-35.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$86.0 VUV 10.1K

-11.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$102 VUV 12.0K

-13.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,549 VUV 181.7K

-34.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,120 VUV 131.3K

-66.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$3,413 VUV 400.3K

-49.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,886 VUV 221.3K

-41.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$5,917 VUV 694.1K

-33.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$2,162 VUV 253.6K

185.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$678 VUV 79.5K

11.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.18

85.28%

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 Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.6% 199% $746

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Port Vila

$476 15.1% 84.3% $218

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Port Vila

$250 8% 23.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Port Vila

$1K 32.4% 643% $882

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Port Vila

$134 4.2% 18.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2% 7.1% $5.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Port Vila

$81 2.6% 53.6% $28

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 $1,549 in Port Vila. 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 11% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $56.0 in Port Vila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $476 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

18:03 6:03 PM

16 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,039 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Port Vila 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Port Vila

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 Port Vila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port Vila is pricier by about 160%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,722 in Port Vila. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $3,148 in Port Vila. That's a gap of about 160%.

Public transport costs about 147% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Port Vila at $3,148. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Vila 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, Port Vila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.