Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Varadero Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Varadero

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 15.3% more expensive than Varadero without rent, and 22.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 18% cheaper than Varadero without rent, and 33% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

$5.85 CUP 140

103.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

$47.19 CUP 1,133

-11.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

$9.24 CUP 222

14.18%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

$0.97 CUP 23.36

271.13%

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

$1.50 MX$26.45

$1.94 CUP 46.48

-22.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

$0.95 CUP 22.69

-4.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

$3.65 CUP 87.6

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

$2.63 CUP 63.1

69.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$24.54

$3.03 CUP 72.8

-54.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 MX$33.47

$1.30 CUP 31.24

46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$28.27

$1.51 CUP 36.21

5.96%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.97

$2.40 CUP 57.6

8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

$5.86 CUP 141

42.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 MX$152

$5.05 CUP 121

71.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 MX$192

$11.87 CUP 285

-8.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

$5.05 CUP 121

-48.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.46

$0.58 CUP 13.93

148.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

$0.98 CUP 23.60

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

$1.12 CUP 26.96

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.87

$0.90 CUP 21.68

106.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 MX$39.20

$5.43 CUP 130

-59.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

$0.39 CUP 9.31

161.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.36

$0.53 CUP 12.84

96.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 MX$71.5

$3.78 CUP 90.8

7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MX$180

$5.61 CUP 135

81.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$29.79

$0.83 CUP 19.89

103.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$46.25

$0.70 CUP 16.92

274.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

$19.86 CUP 477

33.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

$1.98 CUP 47.56

59.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

$0.99 CUP 23.71

148.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

$19.76 CUP 474

-83.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

$1.28 CUP 30.76

3.13%

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

$68.9K CUP 1.7M

-56.36%

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

$81.1K CUP 1.9M

-70.69%

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

$83.5 MX$1,474

$39.98 CUP 960

108.93%

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

$22.86 MX$404

$40.62 CUP 975

-43.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

$219 CUP 5,245

-86.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

$39.44 CUP 947

31.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

$14.86 CUP 357

23.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

$1.03 CUP 24.66

397.09%

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

$201 MX$3,541

$90.7 CUP 2,177

121.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

$15.2K CUP 363.7K

-64.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

$39.97 CUP 959

-10.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

$29.88 CUP 717

34.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

$75.6 CUP 1,814

4.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

$84.1 CUP 2,019

6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

$396 CUP 9,510

138.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

$788 CUP 18.9K

-38.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

$1,204 CUP 28.9K

32.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

$648 CUP 15.6K

86.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

$400 CUP 9,602

898.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

$348 CUP 8,350

1740.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 MX$12.9K

$18.88 CUP 453

3764.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

-23.87%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Varadero: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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