Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Varkaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,899 in Varkaus, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Varkaus
Learn more

Varkaus Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Varkaus

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,899

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,899 in Varkaus, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Varkaus $1,899

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,014 in Varkaus, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Varkaus $3,014

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,128 in Varkaus, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Varkaus $4,128

Playa del Carmen is about 37% cheaper than Varkaus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Varkaus is 40% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$15.36 €13.70

-30.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$102 €90.7

-56.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$12.24 €10.92

-3.68%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$5.33 €4.76

-28.89%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$3.57 €3.18

-63.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$2.85 €2.54

-70.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$8.69 €7.75

-63.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$8.31 €7.41

-40.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.40 €1.25

0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$3.09 €2.76

-28.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$3.64 €3.25

-59.62%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$4.00 €3.57

-37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$10.68 €9.52

-31.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$16.59 €14.80

-52.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$20.92 €18.66

-38.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.66 €2.37

9.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$2.09 €1.86

-33.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$3.55 €3.17

-29.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$4.84 €4.31

-58.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.24 €1.10

62.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.88 €1.67

1.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$2.39 €2.14

-52.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.88 €1.68

-34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$12.36 €11.02

-65.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$13.35 €11.91

-26.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$3.69 €3.29

-56.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$5.07 €4.52

-45.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$3.41 €3.04

-85.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$66.1 €58.9

-58.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$9.61 €8.57

-50.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.76 €1.57

84.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$51.1 €45.62

-89.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$2.33 €2.08

-34.33%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$36.9K €32.9K

-42.55%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$37.4K €33.4K

-37.81%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$107 €95.7

-22.22%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$26.91 €24.01

-13.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$28.94 €25.81

-4.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$43.40 €38.71

30.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$22.35 €19.94

26.13%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$17.79 €15.87

-71.89%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$725 €647

-71.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$12.4K €11.1K

-57.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$121 €108

-64.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$56.5 €50.4

-24.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$88.9 €79.3

-18.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$176 €157

-49.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$787 €702

26.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$638 €569

-40.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$1,248 €1,114

34.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$1,055 €941

2.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$4,070 €3,630

-3.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$2,174 €1,940

182.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.59

218.94%

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 Varkaus: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Varkaus

$638 33.6% 66.9% $256

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Varkaus

$412 21.7% 60.2% $155

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Varkaus

$309 16.3% 54.5% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Varkaus

$163 8.6% 21.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Varkaus

$199 10.5% 78.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Varkaus

$79 4.2% 18.9% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Varkaus

$98 5.2% 94.4% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $787 in Varkaus. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $102 in Varkaus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $412 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇫🇮 Varkaus

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

04:55 4:55 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,257

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Varkaus 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Varkaus

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 Varkaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varkaus is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,849 in Varkaus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkaus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $787 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,899 in Varkaus. That makes Playa del Carmen about 37% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Varkaus at $1,899. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varkaus it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,899 in Varkaus. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.