Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vilanova i la Geltru

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,665 in Vilanova i la Geltru, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Vilanova i la Geltru, Spain
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Vilanova i la Geltru
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,665
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Vilanova i la Geltru

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 Vilanova i la Geltru actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,665 in Vilanova i la Geltru, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Vilanova i la Geltru $1,665

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,369 in Vilanova i la Geltru, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Vilanova i la Geltru $2,369

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,074 in Vilanova i la Geltru, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Vilanova i la Geltru $3,074

Playa del Carmen is about 28% cheaper than Vilanova i la Geltru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Vilanova i la Geltru is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Vilanova i la Geltru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$17.06 €15.28
-35.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$55.0 €49.28
-21.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$12.27 €10.99
-3.99%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$2.50 €2.24
52.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$2.59 €2.32
-50.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$2.01 €1.80
-61.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$3.33 €2.98
-4.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$2.28 €2.05
116.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Vilanova i la Geltru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.16 €1.04
21.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$1.35 €1.21
64.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$1.65 €1.47
-13.94%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$2.06 €1.84
22.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$10.96 €9.82
-33.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$6.26 €5.61
23.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$15.57 €13.95
-18.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$2.47 €2.21
12.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.90 €1.70
-27.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.90 €1.70
34.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$2.57 €2.30
-17.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.16 €1.04
67.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$1.78 €1.59
6.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$1.09 €0.98
5.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.76 €0.68
55.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$6.53 €5.86
-34.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$5.54 €4.97
79.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.27 €1.14
24.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$1.64 €1.47
62.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Vilanova i la Geltru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$2.52 €2.25
-78.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$34.15 €30.61
-22.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$4.49 €4.02
10.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.35 €1.21
146.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$23.79 €21.32
-77.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.60 €1.44
-10.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$34.0K €30.4K
-39.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$31.3K €28.0K
-24.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Vilanova i la Geltru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$154 €138
-44.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$16.23 €14.55
44.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$33.99 €30.46
-15.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Vilanova i la Geltru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$78.6 €70.4
-27.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$9.74 €8.73
-47.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Vilanova i la Geltru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$444 €398
-53.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$9,706 €8,697
-59.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Vilanova i la Geltru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$88.0 €78.8
-50.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$33.87 €30.35
22.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$94.4 €84.6
-21.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$116 €104
-22.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Vilanova i la Geltru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$939 €842
4.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$679 €608
-43.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,263 €1,132
35.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$884 €792
21.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Vilanova i la Geltru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$2,134 €1,913
-65.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.41
235.78%

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 Vilanova i la Geltru: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Vilanova i la Geltru
$679 78.3% $298
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Vilanova i la Geltru
$236 7.3% $19
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Vilanova i la Geltru
$243 20% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Vilanova i la Geltru
$204 49% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Vilanova i la Geltru
$149 33.7% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Vilanova i la Geltru
$98 45.6% $31
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Vilanova i la Geltru
$55 9.9% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $939 in Vilanova i la Geltru. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vilanova i la Geltru are about 2.9 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 $55 in Vilanova i la Geltru. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $236 in Vilanova i la Geltru – so Vilanova i la Geltru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇪🇸 Vilanova i la Geltru
🕒 Local time
02:09 2:09 AM
08:09 8:09 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
68,854
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Vilanova i la Geltru 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Vilanova i la Geltru

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 Vilanova i la Geltru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Vilanova i la Geltru?
Yes – Vilanova i la Geltru is pricier by about 38%, 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 $2,497 in Vilanova i la Geltru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Playa del Carmen and Vilanova i la Geltru?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $939 in Vilanova i la Geltru. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Vilanova i la Geltru?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,665 in Vilanova i la Geltru. That makes Playa del Carmen about 28% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 22% 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 Vilanova i la Geltru?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Vilanova i la Geltru at $1,665. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vilanova i la Geltru it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Vilanova i la Geltru?
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 $1,665 in Vilanova i la Geltru. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vilanova i la Geltru makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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