Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Vallarta and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Vallarta and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Puerto Vallarta is 7.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 21.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Puerto Vallarta is 5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.56 MX$186
$11.85 MX$209
-10.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.96 MX$846
$42.16 MX$744
13.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.34 MX$165
$10.75 MX$190
-13.12%
Cappuccino
$3.52 MX$62.1
$3.47 MX$61.3
1.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 MX$32.61
$1.45 MX$25.65
27.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$22.26
$0.90 MX$15.93
40.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.72 MX$47.94
$3.05 MX$53.9
-10.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$78.0
$4.42 MX$77.9
-
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 MX$27.65
$1.37 MX$24.17
14.60%
White Bread (500g)
$3.47 MX$61.3
$1.87 MX$33.05
85.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.38 MX$41.96
$1.54 MX$27.25
54.55%
Eggs
$1.98 MX$34.93
$2.50 MX$44.18
-20.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.38 MX$201
$8.61 MX$152
32.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.33 MX$182
$8.63 MX$152
19.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.80 MX$297
$11.02 MX$195
52.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 MX$40.88
$2.75 MX$48.53
-15.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$25.08
$1.43 MX$25.21
-0.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.59 MX$28.08
$1.87 MX$33.05
-14.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.24 MX$39.58
$2.17 MX$38.26
3.23%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$37.73
$1.88 MX$33.23
13.83%
Onion (1kg)
$3.07 MX$54.2
$2.25 MX$39.65
36.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 MX$27.45
$1.07 MX$18.85
45.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 MX$19.62
$1.07 MX$18.95
3.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.21 MX$74.4
$4.15 MX$73.3
1.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.67 MX$206
$10.34 MX$182
12.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 MX$34.43
$1.68 MX$29.64
16.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 MX$60.0
$2.48 MX$43.84
37.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.09
$0.55 MX$9.80
-7.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.70 MX$277
$26.53 MX$468
-40.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.94 MX$51.9
$3.22 MX$56.8
-8.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.63 MX$46.35
$2.48 MX$43.80
6.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.33 MX$76.3
$3.11 MX$54.9
39.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$23.32
$1.26 MX$22.16
4.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$15.0K MX$265.0K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-51.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.9K MX$404.2K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
-4.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.7 MX$1,653
$82.5 MX$1,456
13.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.90 MX$404
$22.29 MX$393
2.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.89 MX$563
$30.02 MX$530
6.23%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.11 MX$637
$51.4 MX$908
-29.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.23 MX$234
$18.29 MX$323
-27.67%
Cinema Ticket
$7.98 MX$141
$4.98 MX$88.0
60.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$355 MX$6,272
$200 MX$3,530
77.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,292 MX$111.0K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
18.61%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.8 MX$933
$35.71 MX$630
47.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.93 MX$599
$39.56 MX$698
-14.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.6 MX$1,723
$80.6 MX$1,422
21.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.0 MX$1,642
$88.3 MX$1,559
5.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$977 MX$17.2K
$969 MX$17.1K
0.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$675 MX$11.9K
$482 MX$8,511
39.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,925 MX$34.0K
$1,595 MX$28.2K
20.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,249 MX$22.0K
$1,184 MX$20.9K
5.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,428 MX$95.8K
$4,050 MX$71.5K
34.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,544 MX$44.9K
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-60.99%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,016 MX$17.9K
$756 MX$13.4K
34.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
11.42
0.70%

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

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities