Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vanuatu
For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $3,281 in Vanuatu, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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Playa del Carmen Living Index60Cost of Living Index in Playa del CarmenLearn more -
Vanuatu Living Index157Cost of Living Index in VanuatuLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 40.2% cheaper than Vanuatu without rent, and 63% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 35.9% cheaper than Vanuatu without rent, and 43.3% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Vanuatu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$12.78 VUV 1,497
-14.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$57.2 VUV 6,697
-21.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$14.57 VUV 1,706
-18.19%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$4.03 VUV 471
-5.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$2.25 VUV 264
-41.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$2.38 VUV 278
-63.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$4.93 VUV 578
-34.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$7.12 VUV 833
-29.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Vanuatu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$3.03 VUV 355
-51.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$2.52 VUV 295
-7.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$3.80 VUV 445
-62.11%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$5.87 VUV 687
-58.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$15.92 VUV 1,863
-51.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$16.16 VUV 1,892
-51.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$13.23 VUV 1,549
-3.25%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$6.80 VUV 797
-57.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$2.14 VUV 250
-33.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$4.11 VUV 481
-37.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$9.62 VUV 1,126
-77.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
$8.75 VUV 1,025
-77.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
$4.33 VUV 507
-55.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
$2.47 VUV 289
-53.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
$1.19 VUV 139
2.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
$10.06 VUV 1,178
-56.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
$12.80 VUV 1,499
-23.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
$2.92 VUV 342
-47.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
$3.00 VUV 352
-9.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Vanuatu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$1.25 VUV 146
-58.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
$66.8 VUV 7,819
-58.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
$2.57 VUV 301
91.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
$0.83 VUV 96.7
324.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
$5.17 VUV 606
10.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$1.75 VUV 205
-12.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
$23.3K VUV 2.7M
-8.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
$37.8K VUV 4.4M
-35.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Vanuatu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$624 VUV 73.0K
-86.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$22.67 VUV 2,654
6.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$367 VUV 42.9K
-92.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Vanuatu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$68.9 VUV 8,063
-5.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
$16.76 VUV 1,962
75.78%
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Vanuatu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
$634 VUV 74.2K
-67.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
$6,742 VUV 789.4K
-40.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Vanuatu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$40.55 VUV 4,747
9.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
$66.9 VUV 7,834
-37.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
$82.9 VUV 9,706
-8.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
$99.3 VUV 11.6K
-8.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Vanuatu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$1,583 VUV 185.4K
-37.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$1,218 VUV 142.6K
-68.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$3,463 VUV 405.5K
-50.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$1,840 VUV 215.4K
-39.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$6,084 VUV 712.3K
-33.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$2,144 VUV 251.0K
191.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Vanuatu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$342 VUV 40.1K
121.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.18
85.28%
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 Vanuatu: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen $385 31.4%
Vanuatu $1.2K 37.6% 216% $833
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen $260 21.2%
Vanuatu $479 14.8% 84% $219
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen $204 16.6%
Vanuatu $252 7.8% 23.4% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen $137 11.2%
Vanuatu $1K 31.3% 640% $876
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen $114 9.3%
Vanuatu $130 4% 14.3% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen $75 6.1%
Vanuatu $69 * 2.1% 8.2% $6.2
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen $52 4.2%
Vanuatu $78 2.4% 50.8% $26
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen $1.1K 36.5%
Vanuatu $1.8K 34.2% 66% $731
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen $602 19.8%
Vanuatu $1.1K 20.8% 86.3% $519
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen $631 20.8%
Vanuatu $781 14.5% 23.7% $150
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen $161 5.3%
Vanuatu $1K 19.3% 543% $875
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen $254 8.3%
Vanuatu $290 5.4% 14.3% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen $180 5.9%
Vanuatu $154 * 2.9% 13.9% $25
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen $105 3.5%
Vanuatu $159 3% 51.7% $54
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇻🇺 Vanuatu
Weather
Population
149,923
300,019
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Playa del Carmen Vanuatu 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
- Playa del Carmen
- Vanuatu
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,351
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Krakow
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,811
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,203
/mo nomad
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