Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index
59

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

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Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,148

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Vila 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 Port Vila and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,148 per month in Port Vila vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Vila $3,148
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,290 per month in Port Vila vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Vila $4,290
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $5,432 per month in Port Vila vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Vila $5,432
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Port Vila costs about 160% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Port Vila sits 133% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.57 VUV 1,474

$10.76 MX$199

16.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,558

$43.03 MX$795

29.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.47 VUV 1,697

$11.79 MX$218

22.73%

Cappuccino

$3.99 VUV 468

$3.87 MX$71.4

3.10%

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

$2.30 VUV 270

$1.37 MX$25.29

67.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 VUV 276

$0.84 MX$15.44

179.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 VUV 603

$3.10 MX$57.3

65.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 VUV 839

$5.07 MX$93.6

41.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 VUV 320

$1.44 MX$26.55

89.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 VUV 231

$2.23 MX$41.23

-11.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 VUV 426

$1.47 MX$27.17

146.94%

Eggs

$6.30 VUV 739

$2.53 MX$46.71

149.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.57 VUV 2,061

$7.30 MX$135

140.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.60 VUV 1,947

$7.86 MX$145

111.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 VUV 1,604

$12.79 MX$236

6.96%

Apples (1kg)

$7.13 VUV 837

$2.90 MX$53.6

145.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 VUV 252

$1.44 MX$26.53

49.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 VUV 453

$2.55 MX$47.07

51.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.44 VUV 1,107

$2.06 MX$38.03

358.25%

Potato (1kg)

$9.13 VUV 1,071

$2.00 MX$36.97

356.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 VUV 407

$2.01 MX$37.07

72.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 VUV 303

$1.19 MX$22.02

116.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 VUV 140

$1.26 MX$23.23

-4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 VUV 1,063

$4.40 MX$81.4

105.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 VUV 1,467

$9.59 MX$177

30.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 VUV 287

$1.59 MX$29.41

54.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 VUV 316

$2.81 MX$51.9

-3.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 VUV 151

$0.57 MX$10.47

126.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 VUV 8,052

$27.82 MX$514

146.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 VUV 302

$4.98 MX$92.1

-48.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 VUV 103

$3.50 MX$64.6

-74.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 VUV 609

$5.40 MX$99.8

-3.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 VUV 206

$1.47 MX$27.08

19.73%

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

$22.8K VUV 2.7M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

8.83%

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

$37.9K VUV 4.5M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

58.69%

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

$636 VUV 74.6K

$84.2 MX$1,556

654.85%

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

$22.30 VUV 2,615

$23.99 MX$443

-7.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$362 VUV 42.4K

$29.02 MX$536

1145.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 VUV 7,936

$63.0 MX$1,164

7.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.93 VUV 1,986

$29.14 MX$539

-41.90%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

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

$631 VUV 74.0K

$204 MX$3,763

209.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,973 VUV 818.0K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

76.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.45 VUV 4,862

$43.60 MX$806

-4.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.0 VUV 7,856

$43.12 MX$797

55.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 VUV 10.1K

$75.8 MX$1,400

13.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 VUV 12.0K

$88.6 MX$1,637

15.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 VUV 181.7K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

53.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 VUV 131.3K

$374 MX$6,911

199.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,413 VUV 400.3K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

99.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 VUV 221.3K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

70.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,917 VUV 694.1K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

50.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,162 VUV 253.6K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-64.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$678 VUV 79.5K

$754 MX$13.9K

-10.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

11.45

-46.03%

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

Last update for Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 66.6% $746

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Vila

$1K 32.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 86.5% $882

Groceries & Markets

Port Vila

$476 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 45.7% $218

Eating Out

Port Vila

$250 8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 19.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Port Vila

$134 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 15.4% $21

Getting Around

Port Vila

$81 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 34.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 7.7% $5.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,549 in Port Vila versus $1,008 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 run about 11% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $56.0 in Port Vila versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

01:26 1:26 AM

16 h behind Port Vila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,039 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Vila Playa del Carmen 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Vila
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

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

Yes – Port Vila is pricier by about 160%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,722 per month in Port Vila and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,148 in Port Vila and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 160%.

Public transport costs about 147% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Port Vila at $3,148. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Vila it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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