Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vila Franca de Xira

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,615 in Vila Franca de Xira, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Vila Franca de Xira
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Vila Franca de Xira Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Vila Franca de Xira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Vila Franca de Xira

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 Vila Franca de Xira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,615 in Vila Franca de Xira, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Vila Franca de Xira $1,615

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,351 in Vila Franca de Xira, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Vila Franca de Xira $2,351

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,088 in Vila Franca de Xira, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Vila Franca de Xira $3,088

Playa del Carmen is about 25% cheaper than Vila Franca de Xira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Vila Franca de Xira is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$13.61 €12.23

-19.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$56.8 €51.1

-23.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$10.07 €9.05

16.98%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$2.57 €2.31

48.25%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$2.24 €2.01

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$1.71 €1.54

-54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$3.37 €3.03

-5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$1.70 €1.52

190.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$1.02 €0.92

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$1.25 €1.13

77.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$1.51 €1.36

-5.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$3.93 €3.53

-35.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$13.11 €11.78

-44.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.38 €6.63

4.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$17.86 €16.05

-28.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$2.51 €2.26

10.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$1.70 €1.53

-19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$1.65 €1.49

54.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$2.45 €2.20

-13.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$1.82 €1.63

6.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$2.13 €1.92

-11.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$1.53 €1.37

-24.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$0.73 €0.66

61.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$5.86 €5.26

-26.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$5.72 €5.14

73.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.01 €0.91

56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$1.52 €1.36

75.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$2.29 €2.06

-75.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

$44.15 €39.67

-39.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$3.60 €3.23

38.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$1.06 €0.95

214.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$16.71 €15.01

-67.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$2.26 €2.03

-36.28%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$33.9K €30.4K

-38.99%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$39.1K €35.2K

-40.05%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$126 €113

-32.46%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$18.43 €16.56

27.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$33.05 €29.69

-13.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$37.28 €33.50

53.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

$11.23 €10.09

157.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$7.88 €7.08

-34.77%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$553 €497

-62.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$13.3K €11.9K

-70.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$85.1 €76.5

-49.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$44.19 €39.70

-6.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$70.3 €63.1

5.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$67.7 €60.8

31.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,101 €989

-11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$736 €661

-48.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$1,748 €1,570

-2.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$1,057 €949

1.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

$2,519 €2,264

56.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$2,407 €2,163

155.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,524 €1,370

-51.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.85

197.40%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vila Franca de Xira: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Vila Franca de Xira

$736 45.6% 93.3% $355

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Vila Franca de Xira

$260 16.1% 2.1% $5.3

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Vila Franca de Xira

$206 12.8% 1.8% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Vila Franca de Xira

$177 11% 29.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Vila Franca de Xira

$120 7.5% 7.7% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Vila Franca de Xira

$53 3.3% 21.2% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Vila Franca de Xira

$62 3.9% 23.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,101 in Vila Franca de Xira. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vila Franca de Xira are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $57 in Vila Franca de Xira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Vila Franca de Xira

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

137,540

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Vila Franca de Xira 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Vila Franca de Xira

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 Vila Franca de Xira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vila Franca de Xira is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,422 in Vila Franca de Xira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,101 in Vila Franca de Xira.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,615 in Vila Franca de Xira. That’s a gap of about 34%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $553 in Vila Franca de Xira. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Vila Franca de Xira at $1,615. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vila Franca de Xira it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vila Franca de Xira makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.