Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rosario

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosario: $942 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Rosario
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Rosario Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Rosario

🇦🇷 Argentina

$942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $942 in Rosario, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Rosario $942

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,654 in Rosario, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Rosario $1,654

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,366 in Rosario, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Rosario $2,366

Playa del Carmen costs about 28% more than Rosario, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rosario are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Rosario 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$9.90 ARS 15.2K

10.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$38.08 ARS 58.6K

13.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$11.44 ARS 17.6K

2.97%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.96 ARS 4,555

28.72%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.78 ARS 2,735

-28.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.70 ARS 2,613

-54.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$4.01 ARS 6,171

-20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.29 ARS 3,530

115.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.27 ARS 1,953

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.64 ARS 2,527

35.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.59 ARS 2,442

-10.69%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.28 ARS 3,500

10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.44 ARS 13.0K

-13.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.90 ARS 9,068

30.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

20.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.94 ARS 2,979

43.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.57 ARS 2,416

-12.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.06 ARS 1,630

140.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.08 ARS 3,195

1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.98 ARS 1,505

97.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.69 ARS 1,062

173.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.52 ARS 2,341

-24.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.73 ARS 2,656

-31.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.32 ARS 5,111

29.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.71 ARS 7,251

111.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.22 ARS 1,870

29.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.72 ARS 4,180

-1.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.01 ARS 1,554

-45.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.59 ARS 2,438

212.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.01 ARS 1,559

229.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.89 ARS 12.1K

-32.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.10 ARS 1,686

30.91%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$23.9K ARS 36.8M

-13.60%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$29.7K ARS 45.6M

-20.93%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$60.9 ARS 93.7K

39.16%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$20.06 ARS 30.9K

16.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$27.30 ARS 42.0K

4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$29.57 ARS 45.5K

92.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$21.98 ARS 33.8K

31.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$4.93 ARS 7,583

4.26%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$240 ARS 369.6K

-14.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,274 ARS 6.6M

-8.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$91.6 ARS 140.9K

-52.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$59.1 ARS 90.9K

-29.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$114 ARS 176.0K

-35.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$136 ARS 209.5K

-34.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$253 ARS 389.6K

286.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$199 ARS 305.5K

91.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$726 ARS 1.1M

135.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$654 ARS 1.0M

64.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,047 ARS 3.1M

92.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,380 ARS 2.1M

346.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$686 ARS 1.1M

7.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

57.25

-80.00%

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 Rosario: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Rosario

$199 21.1% 47.8% $182

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Rosario

$217 23% 14.9% $38

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Rosario

$188 19.9% 7.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Rosario

$108 11.5% 20.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Rosario

$181 19.2% 61.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Rosario

$39 4.2% 41.4% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Rosario

$11 * 1.1% 78.8% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $253 in Rosario. 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 7% 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $38 in Rosario. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $217 – making Rosario the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇷 Rosario

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,029,619

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rosario 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rosario

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 Rosario: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,413 in Rosario. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rosario, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $942 in Rosario. That makes Rosario about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $240 in Rosario. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Rosario, where all-in costs run around $942, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Rosario it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rosario costs $942 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Rosario. 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.