Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vila Real

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Vila Real: $1,204 and $1,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Vila Real
Learn more

Vila Real Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Vila Real

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Vila Real

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,223 in Vila Real, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Vila Real $1,223

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,790 in Vila Real, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Vila Real $1,790

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,356 in Vila Real, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Vila Real $2,356

Playa del Carmen and Vila Real have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Vila Real are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Vila Real 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$9.12 €8.17

19.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$27.82 €24.92

55.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.61 €6.81

54.80%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.10 €0.99

246.36%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.70 €1.52

-24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.13 €1.02

-30.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.40 €3.05

-6.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.54 €1.38

220.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.91 €0.82

54.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.39 €1.25

59.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.20 €1.08

18.33%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.63 €2.36

-4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.67 €8.66

-24.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.80 €6.98

-1.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$14.84 €13.29

-14.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.68 €1.51

65.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.33 €1.19

3.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.57 €1.41

62.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.61 €2.34

-18.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.42 €1.27

36.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.72 €1.54

9.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.17 €1.05

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.43 €0.38

174.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$6.29 €5.64

-31.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.37 €3.91

127.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.10 €0.99

43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.63 €1.46

63.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.26 €1.12

-56.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$24.62 €22.05

8.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$4.19 €3.75

18.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.70 €1.52

95.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$16.81 €15.05

-68.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$2.08 €1.87

-30.77%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$31.6K €28.3K

-34.69%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$37.4K €33.5K

-37.23%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$109 €97.3

-21.92%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$16.62 €14.89

40.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$45.77 €41.00

-37.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$32.35 €28.97

76.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$10.22 €9.15

182.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$8.91 €7.98

-42.31%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$328 €294

-37.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$9,782 €8,760

-59.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$64.9 €58.1

-33.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$31.30 €28.04

32.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$84.7 €75.8

-12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$77.4 €69.3

15.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$785 €703

24.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$481 €431

-20.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,010 €905

69.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$765 €685

40.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,711 €1,533

130.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,313 €1,176

369.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,075 €963

-31.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.55

222.54%

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 Real: 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 Real

$481 39.4% 26.4% $101

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Vila Real

$222 18.1% 13% $33

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Vila Real

$140 11.5% 30.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Vila Real

$171 14% 24.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Vila Real

$116 9.5% 4% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Vila Real

$50 4.1% 25.5% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Vila Real

$42 3.5% 16.1% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $785 in Vila Real. 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 46% higher in Vila Real. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $28 in Vila Real. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $222 – making Vila Real the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Vila Real

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

03:45 3:45 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

49,574

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Vila Real 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Vila Real

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 Real: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,835 in Vila Real. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vila Real, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $785 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Vila Real – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $328 in Vila Real. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,223 in Vila Real, 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,223 in Vila Real. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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