Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vichy

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,409 in Vichy, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vichy outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Vichy
🇫🇷 France
$1,409
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,409 in Vichy, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Vichy $1,409

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,161 in Vichy, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Vichy $2,161

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,914 in Vichy, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Vichy $2,914

Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper than Vichy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Vichy is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Vichy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$7.75 €6.89
40.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$54.1 €48.15
-18.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$7.44 €6.62
58.06%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$2.62 €2.33
40.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$2.73 €2.43
-50.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$1.32 €1.18
-37.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$5.65 €5.02
-45.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$4.71 €4.19
4.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Vichy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$0.93 €0.83
58.06%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$1.78 €1.58
24.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$1.75 €1.56
-15.43%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$1.97 €1.76
26.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$23.42 €20.84
-67.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$5.73 €5.10
38.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$7.14 €6.35
76.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$1.25 €1.11
122.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$1.92 €1.71
-25.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$2.72 €2.42
-3.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$1.97 €1.75
8.63%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$1.37 €1.22
47.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$1.08 €0.96
84.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$1.12 €1.00
1.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.37 €0.33
224.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$10.74 €9.55
-60.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$3.53 €3.14
183.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$2.30 €2.04
-33.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$2.47 €2.20
7.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Vichy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$1.94 €1.73
-72.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$47.51 €42.26
-42.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$5.01 €4.46
-2.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$2.10 €1.87
63.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$33.64 €29.92
-84.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$2.09 €1.86
-30.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$36.1K €32.1K
-41.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$32.6K €29.0K
-29.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Vichy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$138 €122
-37.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$13.48 €11.99
74.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$32.18 €28.62
-11.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Vichy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$35.19 €31.30
76.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$9.07 €8.07
-43.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Vichy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$782 €696
-74.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$10.0K €8,908
-60.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Vichy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$67.7 €60.2
-34.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$28.41 €25.27
45.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$61.1 €54.4
19.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$46.78 €41.61
91.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Vichy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$744 €661
31.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$600 €534
-37.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$1,373 €1,221
22.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$1,109 €986
-1.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$3,873 €3,445
1.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$3,025 €2,691
102.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Vichy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$1,600 €1,423
-53.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.79
202.11%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Vichy: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Vichy
$600 61.1% $228
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Vichy
$240 7.3% $19
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Vichy
$170 15.3% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Vichy
$183 33.5% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Vichy
$92 17.8% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Vichy
$53 26.3% $19
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Vichy
$71 37% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $744 in Vichy. 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 117% higher in Vichy, 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $54.0 in Vichy. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $240 in Vichy – so Vichy wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇫🇷 Vichy
🕒 Local time
05:50 5:50 AM
12:50 12:50 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
25,789
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Vichy 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Vichy

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 Vichy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vichy cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Vichy is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,113 in Vichy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Vichy?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,409 in Vichy. That's a gap of about 17%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 73% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Vichy?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Vichy at $1,409. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vichy it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Vichy more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Vichy?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vichy makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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