Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vega Baja

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Vega Baja: $1,202 and $1,191 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Vega Baja
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Vega Baja Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Vega Baja

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Vega Baja

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,191 in Vega Baja, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Vega Baja $1,191

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,860 in Vega Baja, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Vega Baja $1,860

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,530 in Vega Baja, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Vega Baja $2,530

Playa del Carmen and Vega Baja have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Vega Baja are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Vega Baja 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$19.26 $19.26

-44.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$49.43 $49.43

-11.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.27 $9.27

27.18%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.43 $3.43

10.50%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.92 $1.92

-32.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.52 $1.52

-45.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.99 $2.99

5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.54 $2.54

94.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.60 $1.60

-11.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.72 $3.72

-40.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.32 $2.32

-36.64%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$7.10 $7.10

-64.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$12.62 $12.62

-42.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$9.55 $9.55

-16.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.17 $13.17

-2.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$5.11 $5.11

-43.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.57 $2.57

-46.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.95 $4.95

-49.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.73 $4.73

-57.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.80 $3.80

-46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$4.04 $4.04

-52.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$3.53 $3.53

-67.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.61 $1.61

-22.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$12.14 $12.14

-64.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$15.43 $15.43

-36.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$3.01 $3.01

-47.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.89 $3.89

-29.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.43 $2.43

95.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.48 $1.48

119.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$42.73 $42.73

-87.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.76 $0.76

101.32%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$35.0K $35.0K

-39.42%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$28.1K $28.1K

-17.08%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$226 $226

-63.06%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$68.0 $68.0

-65.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$49.28 $49.28

-43.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.68 $10.68

-53.18%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$837 $837

-75.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$12.0K $12.0K

-56.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$55.8 $55.8

-22.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$60.4 $60.4

-29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$111 $111

-34.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$112 $112

-20.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.55

74.81%

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 Vega Baja: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Vega Baja

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Vega Baja

$407 34.2% 58.2% $150

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Vega Baja

$257 21.6% 28.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Vega Baja

$343 28.8% 156% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Vega Baja

$152 12.8% 37% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Vega Baja

$21 * 1.8% 67.9% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Vega Baja

$9.8 * 0.8% 80.5% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $49 in Vega Baja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $407 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Vega Baja

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

23,415

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Vega Baja 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Vega Baja

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 Vega Baja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,786 in Vega Baja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $49 in Vega Baja. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $837 in Vega Baja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,191 in Vega Baja, 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 $1,191 in Vega Baja to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.