Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vacoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $750 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Vacoas
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Vacoas Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Vacoas

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $750 in Vacoas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Vacoas $750

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,104 in Vacoas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Vacoas $1,104

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,458 in Vacoas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Vacoas $1,458

Playa del Carmen costs about 60% more than Vacoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Vacoas are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Vacoas 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.95 MUR 280

83.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$32.47 MUR 1,530

33.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.31 MUR 297

86.69%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.58 MUR 122

47.67%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.15 MUR 54.0

11.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.62 MUR 29.22

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.66 MUR 125

19.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.91 MUR 184

26.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.40 MUR 65.8

0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.73 MUR 34.38

204.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.16 MUR 54.6

22.41%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.24 MUR 106

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$2.71 MUR 128

167.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$2.62 MUR 124

193.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.51 MUR 542

10.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.59 MUR 122

7.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.22 MUR 104

-38.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.43 MUR 67.4

78.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.90 MUR 136

-26.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.02 MUR 47.88

90.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.01 MUR 47.59

87.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.75 MUR 35.16

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.72 MUR 33.96

63.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$6.30 MUR 297

-31.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.42 MUR 303

54.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.45 MUR 68.3

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.37 MUR 112

12.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.30 MUR 61.4

-57.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$4.24 MUR 200

17.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$3.25 MUR 153

2.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.16 MUR 196

28.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.41 MUR 66.5

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$29.6K MUR 1.4M

-30.17%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

-25.50%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$44.84 MUR 2,113

89.09%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.49 MUR 495

123.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$24.48 MUR 1,154

17.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$25.26 MUR 1,191

125.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$5.33 MUR 251

-3.56%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$126 MUR 5,934

64.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$7,579 MUR 357.2K

-48.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$31.56 MUR 1,487

37.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$38.24 MUR 1,802

8.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$64.3 MUR 3,030

15.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$47.72 MUR 2,249

87.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$262 MUR 12.4K

273.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$223 MUR 10.5K

70.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$472 MUR 22.3K

261.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$231 MUR 10.9K

366.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$688 MUR 32.4K

6.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.67

71.66%

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 Vacoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Vacoas

$223 29.7% 41.4% $158

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Vacoas

$179 23.8% 29.9% $76

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Vacoas

$126 16.7% 37.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Vacoas

$80 10.6% 41.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Vacoas

$82 10.9% 26.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Vacoas

$36 4.8% 46.6% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Vacoas

$26 * 3.4% 49.1% $25

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 $262 in Vacoas. 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 $32 in Vacoas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $179 – making Vacoas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇺 Vacoas

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

04:08 4:08 AM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

115,289

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.13 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.62 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Vacoas 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Vacoas

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 Vacoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,126 in Vacoas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vacoas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $262 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $750 in Vacoas. That makes Vacoas about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $126 in Vacoas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Vacoas – 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 Vacoas. 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.