Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Vallarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,579 in Puerto Vallarta, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Vallarta
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Puerto Vallarta Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Puerto Vallarta

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,579 in Puerto Vallarta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Puerto Vallarta $1,579

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,393 in Puerto Vallarta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Puerto Vallarta $2,393

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,208 in Puerto Vallarta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Puerto Vallarta $3,208

Playa del Carmen is about 24% cheaper than Puerto Vallarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Puerto Vallarta is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$13.45 MX$250

-18.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$807

$55.8 MX$1,039

-22.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.74 MX$200

9.68%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.9

$4.13 MX$76.9

-7.75%

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

$1.28 MX$23.87

$1.88 MX$35.03

-31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.57

$1.35 MX$25.16

-42.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.00 MX$55.8

5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.21 MX$78.3

17.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.18

$1.78 MX$33.21

-20.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.27

$3.34 MX$62.3

-33.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.38

$1.94 MX$36.08

-26.80%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.96

$2.25 MX$41.80

12.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.96 MX$185

-27.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.96 MX$204

-29.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$15.95 MX$297

-20.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$2.74 MX$51.0

1.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.47

$1.54 MX$28.63

-11.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.49

$1.95 MX$36.25

30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.52

$1.99 MX$36.96

6.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.08

$2.35 MX$43.81

-17.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.11

$3.01 MX$56.0

-37.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.34

$1.43 MX$26.56

-19.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.95

$1.08 MX$20.17

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$4.16 MX$77.5

3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.65 MX$198

-6.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.48

$1.82 MX$33.91

-13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.72

$2.65 MX$49.32

0.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.30

$0.57 MX$10.66

-3.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$495

$26.39 MX$491

0.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.5

$4.66 MX$86.7

6.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.0

$3.00 MX$55.8

11.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.7

$4.21 MX$78.4

27.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.88

$1.45 MX$26.96

-0.69%

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

$20.7K MX$384.7K

$24.0K MX$447.2K

-13.97%

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

$23.5K MX$436.8K

$23.7K MX$441.1K

-0.97%

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

$84.8 MX$1,578

$85.7 MX$1,595

-1.06%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$25.78 MX$480

-9.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$533

$31.19 MX$581

-8.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,062

$35.29 MX$657

61.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$538

$14.65 MX$273

97.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$8.42 MX$157

-38.95%

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

$207 MX$3,845

$318 MX$5,924

-35.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.1K

$6,284 MX$117.0K

-37.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$807

$54.2 MX$1,009

-20.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$771

$34.37 MX$640

20.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,381

$101 MX$1,872

-26.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,661

$94.5 MX$1,759

-5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,263 MX$23.5K

-22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,089

$674 MX$12.5K

-43.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,028 MX$37.8K

-15.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,089 MX$20.3K

-1.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.4K

$5,115 MX$95.2K

-22.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.6K

$2,524 MX$47.0K

143.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$925 MX$17.2K

-20.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.7

-2.14%

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 Puerto Vallarta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Puerto Vallarta

$674 42.7% 77% $293

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Puerto Vallarta

$309 19.6% 21.2% $54

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Puerto Vallarta

$226 14.3% 11.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Puerto Vallarta

$143 9% 4.3% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Puerto Vallarta

$128 8.1% 14.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Puerto Vallarta

$52 3.3% 22.6% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Puerto Vallarta

$48 3.1% 4.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,263 in Puerto Vallarta. 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 26% higher in Puerto Vallarta, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $56 in Puerto Vallarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $309 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

224,166

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Playa del Carmen Puerto Vallarta 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
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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 Puerto Vallarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Puerto Vallarta is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,369 in Puerto Vallarta. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,263 in Puerto Vallarta.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,579 in Puerto Vallarta. That’s a gap of about 31%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $318 in Puerto Vallarta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Puerto Vallarta at $1,579. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puerto Vallarta it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,579 in Puerto Vallarta. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Puerto Vallarta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.