Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Resistencia

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Resistencia: $1,215 and $1,180 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Resistencia
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Resistencia Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Resistencia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,180

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Resistencia

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,180 in Resistencia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Resistencia $1,180

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,915 in Resistencia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Resistencia $1,915

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,650 in Resistencia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Resistencia $2,650

Playa del Carmen costs about 3% more than Resistencia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Resistencia are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Resistencia 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$16.49 ARS 25.0K

-33.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$57.6 ARS 87.4K

-22.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$13.25 ARS 20.1K

-10.04%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.67 ARS 5,570

3.54%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.47 ARS 3,753

-46.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$2.13 ARS 3,223

-59.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$4.38 ARS 6,642

-26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.73 ARS 5,660

34.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.35 ARS 2,042

8.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.46 ARS 3,732

-5.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$2.00 ARS 3,028

-28.00%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.71 ARS 4,105

-9.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$9.29 ARS 14.1K

-17.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$7.17 ARS 10.9K

10.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$11.05 ARS 16.8K

15.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.57 ARS 3,903

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$2.02 ARS 3,063

-29.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.35 ARS 2,053

90.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.40 ARS 3,642

-10.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$0.97 ARS 1,473

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.69 ARS 5,590

18.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$4.55 ARS 6,898

116.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.05 ARS 1,589

-50.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$1.57 ARS 2,383

212.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.07 ARS 1,620

43.93%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$115 ARS 173.6K

-26.98%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$17.55 ARS 26.6K

36.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$29.12 ARS 44.2K

0.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$31.15 ARS 47.2K

108.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$9.21 ARS 14.0K

-44.73%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$272 ARS 411.7K

-23.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$105 ARS 160.0K

-57.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$128 ARS 194.4K

-41.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$116 ARS 176.4K

-21.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$514 ARS 779.8K

91.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$330 ARS 500.7K

16.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$987 ARS 1.5M

73.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$741 ARS 1.1M

49.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$565 ARS 856.5K

34.21%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Resistencia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Resistencia

$330 28.1% 14.3% $55

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Resistencia

$207 * 17.6% 20.4% $53

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Resistencia

$264 22.4% 29.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Resistencia

$161 13.7% 17.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Resistencia

$158 * 13.4% 38.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Resistencia

$50 4.2% 33.9% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Resistencia

$5.8 * 0.5% 88.9% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $514 in Resistencia. 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 34% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $58.0 in Resistencia. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $207 in Resistencia – so Resistencia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇷 Resistencia

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

10:06 10:06 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

290,793

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Resistencia 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Resistencia

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 Resistencia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,770 in Resistencia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Resistencia, 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 $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,180 in Resistencia. That's a gap of about 3%.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in Playa del Carmen and $272 in Resistencia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Resistencia, where all-in costs run around $1,180, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Resistencia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Resistencia – 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 Resistencia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.