Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Varas

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Varas: $1,122 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Puerto Varas

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,122 in Puerto Varas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Puerto Varas $1,122

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,599 in Puerto Varas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Puerto Varas $1,599

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,075 in Puerto Varas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Puerto Varas $2,075

Playa del Carmen costs about 7% more than Puerto Varas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Puerto Varas are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Puerto Varas 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$12.02 CLP 11.8K

-11.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$40.05 CLP 39.2K

9.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$7.74 CLP 7,563

52.33%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$3.28 CLP 3,207

15.55%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$0.99 CLP 966

31.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$0.79 CLP 770

5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.13 CLP 1,108

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$1.85 CLP 1,809

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.52 CLP 1,490

-3.29%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$3.06 CLP 2,996

-18.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$8.47 CLP 8,278

-13.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$4.67 CLP 4,565

70.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$8.77 CLP 8,575

46.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$1.76 CLP 1,721

64.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$1.94 CLP 1,892

-28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$2.50 CLP 2,447

-0.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$1.95 CLP 1,905

4.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$1.54 CLP 1,501

31.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$1.20 CLP 1,170

58.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$1.28 CLP 1,254

-10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.08 CLP 1,054

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$5.19 CLP 5,072

-17.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$4.51 CLP 4,409

117.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$1.37 CLP 1,335

16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$1.20 CLP 1,172

129.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$1.09 CLP 1,066

-53.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$249 CLP 243.5K

-66.48%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$15.86 CLP 15.5K

46.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$30.83 CLP 30.1K

83.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

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

$207 MX$3,889

$495 CLP 483.8K

-58.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$6,002 CLP 5.9M

-12.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$20.40 CLP 19.9K

112.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$15.20 CLP 14.9K

179.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$59.4 CLP 58.1K

22.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$603 CLP 589.6K

64.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$407 CLP 397.9K

-6.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$793 CLP 775.2K

111.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$600 CLP 586.5K

80.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$528 CLP 516.0K

57.69%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Puerto Varas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Puerto Varas

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Puerto Varas

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Puerto Varas

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Puerto Varas

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Puerto Varas

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Puerto Varas

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Puerto Varas

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $603 in Puerto Varas. 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 58% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $40 in Puerto Varas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $207 – making Puerto Varas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇱 Puerto Varas

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

21:43 9:43 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

41,255

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 978 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,098 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Puerto Varas 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Puerto Varas

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 Varas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,684 in Puerto Varas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Varas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $603 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,122 in Puerto Varas. That makes Puerto Varas about 7% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $495 in Puerto Varas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,122 in Puerto Varas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,122 in Puerto Varas to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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