Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Vallarta Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Vallarta

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 7.2% cheaper than Puerto Vallarta without rent, and 17.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 4.7% cheaper than Puerto Vallarta without rent, and 7.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$10.56 MX$186
12.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$47.96 MX$846
-12.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$9.34 MX$165
15.10%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$3.52 MX$62.1
-1.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$1.85 MX$32.61
-21.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$1.26 MX$22.26
-28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$2.72 MX$47.94
12.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$4.42 MX$78.0
-
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.57 MX$27.65
-12.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$3.47 MX$61.3
-46.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$2.38 MX$41.96
-35.29%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$1.98 MX$34.93
26.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$11.38 MX$201
-24.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$10.33 MX$182
-16.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$16.80 MX$297
-34.40%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$2.32 MX$40.88
18.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.42 MX$25.08
0.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.59 MX$28.08
17.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$2.24 MX$39.58
-3.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$2.14 MX$37.73
-12.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$3.07 MX$54.2
-26.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$1.56 MX$27.45
-31.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$1.11 MX$19.62
-3.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$4.21 MX$74.4
-1.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$11.67 MX$206
-11.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.95 MX$34.43
-13.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$3.40 MX$60.0
-27.06%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.51 MX$9.09
7.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$15.70 MX$277
68.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$2.94 MX$51.9
9.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$2.63 MX$46.35
-5.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$4.33 MX$76.3
-28.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.32 MX$23.32
-4.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$15.0K MX$265.0K
104.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$22.9K MX$404.2K
4.98%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$93.7 MX$1,653
-11.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$22.90 MX$404
-2.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$31.89 MX$563
-5.86%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$36.11 MX$637
42.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$13.23 MX$234
38.25%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$7.98 MX$141
-37.59%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$355 MX$6,272
-43.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$6,292 MX$111.0K
-15.69%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$52.8 MX$933
-32.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$33.93 MX$599
16.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$97.6 MX$1,723
-17.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$93.0 MX$1,642
-5.05%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$977 MX$17.2K
-0.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$675 MX$11.9K
-28.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$1,925 MX$34.0K
-17.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$1,249 MX$22.0K
-5.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$5,428 MX$95.8K
-25.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$2,544 MX$44.9K
156.36%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$1,016 MX$17.9K
-25.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.5
-0.70%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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