Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porlamar and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Porlamar: $629 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Porlamar
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Porlamar Living Index
58

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

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Porlamar

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$629

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Porlamar and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $629 per month in Porlamar vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Porlamar $629
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,007 per month in Porlamar vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Porlamar $1,007
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Porlamar vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Porlamar $1,385
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Porlamar is about 48% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Porlamar and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Porlamar 54% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 VES 3,928

$10.92 MX$204

-59.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.61 VES 30.7K

$43.37 MX$808

-20.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 VES 8,078

$11.78 MX$220

-22.58%

Cappuccino

$1.78 VES 1,580

$3.81 MX$71.0

-53.28%

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

$1.63 VES 1,440

$1.28 MX$23.90

27.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 VES 1,150

$0.78 MX$14.59

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 VES 1,312

$3.17 MX$59.0

-53.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 VES 2,582

$4.93 MX$92.0

-40.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 VES 897

$1.41 MX$26.22

-28.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 VES 898

$2.22 MX$41.33

-54.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 VES 897

$1.42 MX$26.42

-28.87%

Eggs

$1.97 VES 1,743

$2.52 MX$47.03

-21.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.01 VES 3,557

$7.26 MX$135

-44.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 VES 4,364

$7.70 MX$143

-35.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.15 VES 5,451

$12.69 MX$237

-51.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 VES 3,630

$2.78 MX$51.9

47.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 VES 1,292

$1.37 MX$25.50

6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 VES 1,303

$2.55 MX$47.55

-42.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 VES 1,310

$2.12 MX$39.58

-30.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 VES 1,343

$1.94 MX$36.13

-21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 VES 861

$1.89 MX$35.16

-48.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 VES 903

$1.18 MX$21.98

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 VES 1,737

$4.30 MX$80.1

-54.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 VES 5,470

$9.95 MX$185

-37.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 VES 1,722

$2.67 MX$49.79

-27.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 VES 411

$0.55 MX$10.31

-16.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.98 VES 13.3K

$26.62 MX$496

-43.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 VES 1,134

$3.33 MX$62.1

-61.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 VES 422

$1.44 MX$26.92

-66.67%

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

$20.3K VES 18.0M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-1.69%

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

$34.7K VES 30.7M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

47.75%

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

$11.89 VES 10.5K

$84.8 MX$1,581

-85.98%

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

$7.67 VES 6,791

$23.41 MX$436

-67.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 VES 20.1K

$28.66 MX$534

-20.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.65 VES 36.0K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-28.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.74 VES 11.3K

$28.91 MX$539

-55.93%

Cinema Ticket

$3.41 VES 3,022

$5.14 MX$95.8

-33.66%

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

$30.05 VES 26.6K

$207 MX$3,851

-85.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 VES 26.7K

$43.35 MX$808

-30.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.52 VES 40.3K

$41.44 MX$772

9.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 VES 53.8K

$74.2 MX$1,383

-18.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 VES 66.7K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-15.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 VES 178.9K

$980 MX$18.3K

-79.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 VES 130.5K

$381 MX$7,099

-61.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 VES 297.1K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-80.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 VES 173.7K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-81.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$406 VES 359.7K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-89.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$152 VES 135.0K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-97.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 VES 190.6K

$735 MX$13.7K

-70.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

74.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Porlamar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Porlamar

$165 * 26.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 54.6% $90

Accommodation & Living

Porlamar

$147 23.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 159% $234

Eating Out

Porlamar

$109 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 85.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Porlamar

$95 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Porlamar

$47 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 41.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porlamar

$42 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 224% $95

Getting Around

Porlamar

$23 * 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 117% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $202 in Porlamar versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Porlamar versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $165 vs $255 – making Porlamar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Porlamar

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h behind Porlamar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,496

149,923

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 886 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 986 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

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).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Porlamar Playa del Carmen 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Porlamar
Playa del Carmen

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

Porlamar vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $944 per month in Porlamar and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Porlamar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $202 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $629 in Porlamar and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 91%.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Porlamar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Porlamar, where all-in costs run around $629, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Porlamar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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