Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Punto Fijo

For one person, living is cheaper in Punto Fijo: $983 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Punto Fijo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Punto Fijo

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $983 in Punto Fijo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Punto Fijo $983

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,709 in Punto Fijo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Punto Fijo $1,709

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,435 in Punto Fijo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Punto Fijo $2,435

Playa del Carmen costs about 22% more than Punto Fijo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Punto Fijo are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Punto Fijo 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$15.04 VES 13.3K

-27.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$79.5 VES 70.5K

-45.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.28 VES 2,018

67.11%

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

$1.28 MX$24.04

$1.47 VES 1,303

-12.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.68

$0.68 VES 602

14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.4

$2.04 VES 1,810

55.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$5.65 VES 5,013

-12.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.37

$2.55 VES 2,261

-44.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.57

$2.55 VES 2,257

-12.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.57

$3.57 VES 3,164

-60.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.30

$6.24 VES 5,533

-59.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$6.08 VES 5,394

19.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.98 VES 4,413

54.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$5.03 VES 4,458

152.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$8.08 VES 7,166

-65.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.65

$4.88 VES 4,325

-71.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.83

$4.95 VES 4,392

-48.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.81

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.34

$5.86 VES 5,193

-66.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.36

$5.14 VES 4,557

-63.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.50

$3.08 VES 2,734

-62.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.11

$1.48 VES 1,314

-20.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$4.05 VES 3,590

6.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.69

$1.95 VES 1,726

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$4.96 VES 4,400

-46.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.27 VES 1,130

-56.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.2

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$6.81 VES 6,037

-51.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.07

$0.52 VES 460

176.92%

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

$20.7K MX$387.5K

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

$23.5K MX$440.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,590

$49.23 VES 43.7K

72.23%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.03 VES 8,891

133.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$37.62 VES 33.4K

-23.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,070

$39.86 VES 35.3K

43.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.4

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

$207 MX$3,873

$197 VES 175.0K

4.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$3,627 VES 3.2M

8.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$813

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,391

$35.35 VES 31.3K

109.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,673

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$392 VES 347.7K

149.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,140

$298 VES 264.5K

27.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$797 VES 706.8K

114.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$601 VES 532.5K

79.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$196 VES 173.9K

274.58%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Punto Fijo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Punto Fijo

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Punto Fijo

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Punto Fijo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Punto Fijo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Punto Fijo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Punto Fijo

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Punto Fijo

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $392 in Punto Fijo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $79 in Punto Fijo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $316 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇪 Punto Fijo

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

17:39 5:39 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

277,017

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 887 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 988 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Punto Fijo 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Punto Fijo

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 Punto Fijo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,475 in Punto Fijo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Punto Fijo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $983 in Punto Fijo. That makes Punto Fijo about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $197 in Punto Fijo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $983 in Punto Fijo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Punto Fijo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Punto Fijo. 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.