Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Rafael, Argentina

Name: San Rafael
Address: San Rafael, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,353 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in San Rafael

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,353 in San Rafael, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
San Rafael $1,353

A couple spends around $2,081 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,258 in San Rafael, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,081
San Rafael $2,258

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,163 in San Rafael, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
San Rafael $3,163

Playa del Carmen is about 11% cheaper than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$11.01 ARS 17.0K

-3.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$50.9 ARS 78.7K

-14.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$14.49 ARS 22.4K

-18.63%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$4.44 ARS 6,857

-14.64%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$2.43 ARS 3,760

-46.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$1.90 ARS 2,932

-56.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$3.89 ARS 6,015

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$4.38 ARS 6,768

12.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.39 ARS 2,148

1.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$2.19 ARS 3,376

0.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$2.78 ARS 4,297

-47.12%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$3.19 ARS 4,921

-21.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$14.27 ARS 22.1K

-48.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.11 ARS 9,446

30.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$11.04 ARS 17.1K

16.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.36 ARS 3,639

22.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$2.23 ARS 3,447

-38.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$1.37 ARS 2,109

81.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$3.33 ARS 5,149

-39.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$2.03 ARS 3,129

-0.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$1.52 ARS 2,352

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$2.00 ARS 3,092

-43.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$2.57 ARS 3,967

-51.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$2.68 ARS 4,138

59.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$5.07 ARS 7,838

93.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

$1.80 ARS 2,785

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$3.07 ARS 4,740

-10.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.98 ARS 1,508

-47.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$2.01 ARS 3,105

136.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$1.03 ARS 1,584

215.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$4.93 ARS 7,610

9.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$1.22 ARS 1,880

25.41%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$27.4K ARS 42.3M

-22.45%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$32.4K ARS 50.0M

-28.12%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$146 ARS 226.0K

-42.92%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$17.25 ARS 26.7K

34.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$23.80 ARS 36.8K

16.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$31.51 ARS 48.7K

79.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

$21.04 ARS 32.5K

33.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$7.25 ARS 11.2K

-31.03%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$174 ARS 268.8K

19.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$4,125 ARS 6.4M

26.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$125 ARS 193.3K

-65.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$142 ARS 219.9K

-70.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$141 ARS 218.5K

-48.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$158 ARS 243.8K

-44.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$511 ARS 788.8K

94.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$336 ARS 519.9K

13.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$1,049 ARS 1.6M

59.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$825 ARS 1.3M

30.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

$1,272 ARS 2.0M

382.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-80.59%

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 San Rafael: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

San Rafael

$336 24.9% 12% $46

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

San Rafael

$287 21.2% 11.4% $29

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

San Rafael

$230 17% 15% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

San Rafael

$187 13.9% 39.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

San Rafael

$255 18.9% 129% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

San Rafael

$46 3.4% 30.8% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Rafael

$11 * 0.8% 78.1% $39

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 $545 in San Rafael. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $51 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $285 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

08:31 8:31 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

118,850

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Rafael 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Rafael

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 San Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Rafael is pricier by about 13%, 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 $2,029 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $545 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,353 in San Rafael. That makes Playa del Carmen about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $172 in San Rafael. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,353 in San Rafael, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,353 in San Rafael. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.