Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Villarrica, Paraguay

For one person, living is cheaper in Villarrica: $994 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Villarrica, Paraguay
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Villarrica
🇵🇾 Paraguay
$994
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $994 in Villarrica, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Villarrica $994

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,275 in Villarrica, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Villarrica $1,275

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,556 in Villarrica, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Villarrica $1,556

Playa del Carmen costs about 21% more than Villarrica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Villarrica are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Villarrica 27% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Villarrica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$203
$6.89 ₲40.1K
58.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$20.97 ₲122.0K
106.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$219
$6.83 ₲39.7K
72.47%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$3.48 ₲20.3K
9.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.89
$1.04 ₲6,043
23.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.58
$0.60 ₲3,478
30.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$1.50 ₲8,709
111.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.9
$1.32 ₲7,686
273.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Villarrica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.20
$1.17 ₲6,806
20.51%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.30
$1.31 ₲7,635
69.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.40
$1.36 ₲7,941
4.41%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.00
$2.12 ₲12.3K
18.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$9.21 ₲53.6K
-21.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$4.07 ₲23.7K
89.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$236
$10.25 ₲59.6K
23.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$3.08 ₲17.9K
-9.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.49
$1.18 ₲6,882
16.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.52
$1.23 ₲7,152
107.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.55
$2.42 ₲14.1K
-12.40%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.11
$1.36 ₲7,891
42.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.13
$0.78 ₲4,544
142.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.36
$0.83 ₲4,852
38.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.96
$0.70 ₲4,096
68.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.0
$1.23 ₲7,131
249.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$9.22 ₲53.6K
7.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.50
$0.64 ₲3,703
146.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.76
$1.74 ₲10.1K
53.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Villarrica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$1.45 ₲8,446
242.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$1.53 ₲8,913
117.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$5.31 ₲30.9K
0.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.90
$1.29 ₲7,479
11.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.0K
$17.2K ₲100.3M
19.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.2K
$30.2K ₲175.8M
-22.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Villarrica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,580
$31.17 ₲181.3K
172.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$17.54 ₲102.1K
33.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$22.03 ₲128.1K
30.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Villarrica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$34.16 ₲198.7K
67.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$3.42 ₲19.9K
745.32%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.7
$8.63 ₲50.2K
-40.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Villarrica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,848
$42.77 ₲248.9K
382.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$5,861 ₲34.1M
-32.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Villarrica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$65.0 ₲378.0K
-33.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$56.4 ₲328.1K
-26.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,382
$107 ₲621.5K
-30.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,663
$71.5 ₲415.8K
24.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Villarrica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.2K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,095
$395 ₲2.3M
-3.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$262 ₲1.5M
552.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$207 ₲1.2M
419.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Villarrica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
$558 ₲3.2M
31.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
10.5
9.05%

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 Villarrica: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Villarrica
$395 3.6% $14
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Villarrica
$200 21.7% $55
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Villarrica
$134 33.7% $68
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Villarrica
$71 48.3% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Villarrica
$135 20.7% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Villarrica
$51 23.6% $16
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Villarrica
$9.1 * 81.9% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 32% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $21 in Villarrica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $200 – making Villarrica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇾 Villarrica
🕒 Local time
02:35 2:35 AM
04:35 4:35 AM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
73,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5,818 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD). 1 EUR = 6,492 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.54 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Villarrica 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Villarrica

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 Villarrica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Villarrica cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 21%, 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 $1,492 in Villarrica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Villarrica?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $994 in Villarrica. That makes Villarrica about 17% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $43 in Villarrica. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Playa del Carmen or in Villarrica?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $994 in Villarrica. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Villarrica?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $994 in Villarrica to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Villarrica. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?