Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vredenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Vredenburg: $983 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Vredenburg
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Vredenburg Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Vredenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $983 in Vredenburg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Vredenburg $983

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,558 in Vredenburg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Vredenburg $1,558

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,134 in Vredenburg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Vredenburg $2,134

Playa del Carmen costs about 23% more than Vredenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Vredenburg are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Vredenburg 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$10.74 R 179

1.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$46.13 R 769

-5.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.32 R 88.6

121.43%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.50 R 24.97

154.00%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.88 R 14.60

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.38 R 6.38

105.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.24 R 20.69

155.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.92 R 32.07

156.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.95 R 15.82

48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.28 R 21.28

73.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.93 R 15.42

52.69%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.13 R 35.46

18.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.23 R 104

16.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.73 R 62.2

106.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$5.02 R 83.6

152.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.60 R 26.62

73.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.56 R 26.05

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.68 R 28.07

51.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.55 R 25.84

36.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.55 R 25.76

25.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.18 R 19.74

60.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.32 R 21.96

-12.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.87 R 14.53

35.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.54 R 59.0

21.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$5.89 R 98.2

68.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.26 R 20.92

25.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.56 R 25.99

71.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.50 R 24.94

-63.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$36.25 R 604

-26.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.63 R 10.57

688.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.20 R 20.00

177.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$4.96 R 82.7

8.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.41 R 23.51

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$35.6K R 593.4K

-41.97%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$33.0K R 549.7K

-28.86%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$115 R 1,917

-26.30%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$29.34 R 489

-20.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$23.42 R 390

22.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$32.91 R 548

73.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$10.82 R 180

167.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.11 R 118

-27.71%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$122 R 2,034

69.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$6,778 R 112.9K

-42.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$15.41 R 257

181.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$21.13 R 352

96.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$42.36 R 706

75.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$30.95 R 516

188.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$389 R 6,482

151.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$372 R 6,194

2.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$741 R 12.3K

130.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$737 R 12.3K

45.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$865 R 14.4K

355.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$691 R 11.5K

791.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$917 R 15.3K

-19.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.97

4.38%

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 Vredenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Vredenburg

$372 37.8% 2.4% $9.1

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Vredenburg

$163 16.6% 36.2% $92

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Vredenburg

$135 13.7% 33.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Vredenburg

$168 17.1% 22.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Vredenburg

$49 5% 55.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Vredenburg

$47 4.8% 30% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Vredenburg

$49 5% 3.1% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $389 in Vredenburg. 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 25% higher in Vredenburg, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $46 in Vredenburg. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $163 in Vredenburg – so Vredenburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Vredenburg

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

45,986

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Vredenburg 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Vredenburg

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 Vredenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,474 in Vredenburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vredenburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $983 in Vredenburg. That’s a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Vredenburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.