Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Villa María

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,270 in Villa María, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Villa María despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Villa María
Learn more

Villa María Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Villa María

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Villa María

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,270 in Villa María, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Villa María $1,270

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,126 in Villa María, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Villa María $2,126

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,982 in Villa María, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Villa María $2,982

Playa del Carmen is about 5% cheaper than Villa María, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Villa María are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Villa María 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$17.28 ARS 26.8K

-38.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$57.6 ARS 89.3K

-23.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$12.91 ARS 20.0K

-8.68%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$3.79 ARS 5,875

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$2.25 ARS 3,486

-42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$1.95 ARS 3,024

-57.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$3.66 ARS 5,673

-13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$4.01 ARS 6,212

22.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.34 ARS 2,072

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$2.18 ARS 3,384

0.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.80 ARS 2,796

-18.33%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.72 ARS 4,219

-8.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$11.75 ARS 18.2K

-37.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$7.80 ARS 12.1K

1.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$11.36 ARS 17.6K

13.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.45 ARS 3,795

18.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$2.19 ARS 3,401

-36.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.49 ARS 2,315

67.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$2.74 ARS 4,245

-25.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.12 ARS 1,737

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$0.95 ARS 1,471

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.49 ARS 2,309

-16.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$3.24 ARS 5,028

31.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$5.08 ARS 7,883

93.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$2.14 ARS 3,324

-25.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$3.41 ARS 5,280

-19.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$1.02 ARS 1,576

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.47 ARS 2,274

223.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.17 ARS 1,821

30.77%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$25.3K ARS 39.2M

-16.14%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$32.8K ARS 50.8M

-29.02%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$126 ARS 195.2K

-33.69%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$17.16 ARS 26.6K

35.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$23.88 ARS 37.0K

15.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$31.02 ARS 48.1K

81.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$20.35 ARS 31.6K

38.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$9.03 ARS 14.0K

-44.63%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$234 ARS 362.4K

-11.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$4,153 ARS 6.4M

25.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$114 ARS 176.4K

-61.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$82.2 ARS 127.5K

-48.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$111 ARS 172.0K

-34.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$117 ARS 181.1K

-24.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$515 ARS 799.2K

92.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$335 ARS 519.3K

14.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$1,045 ARS 1.6M

60.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$820 ARS 1.3M

31.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,266 ARS 2.0M

384.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Villa María: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Villa María

$335 26.4% 12.4% $47

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Villa María

$257 * 20.3% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Villa María

$266 20.9% 32.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Villa María

$167 13.1% 24.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Villa María

$191 15% 71.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Villa María

$49 3.9% 26.1% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Villa María

$5.5 * 0.4% 89% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $515 in Villa María. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $58 in Villa María. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇷 Villa María

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

80,006

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,551 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,738 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Villa María 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Villa María

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 Villa María: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Villa María is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,905 in Villa María. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Villa María, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $515 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $58 in Villa María. 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 $234 in Villa María. 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,270 in Villa María, 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,270 in Villa María. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.