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 6.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 20.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Puerto Vallarta is 26.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 6.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.54 MX$182
$11.61 MX$200
-9.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.70 MX$807
$42.75 MX$738
9.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.62 MX$166
$10.60 MX$183
-9.25%
Cappuccino
$3.44 MX$59.4
$3.59 MX$62.0
-4.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 MX$32.48
$1.45 MX$25.08
29.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$20.79
$0.90 MX$15.50
33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.71 MX$46.74
$3.03 MX$52.4
-10.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.40 MX$75.9
$4.56 MX$78.8
-3.51%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 MX$27.18
$1.45 MX$25.07
8.28%
White Bread (500g)
$3.43 MX$59.3
$1.83 MX$31.55
87.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.44 MX$42.16
$1.61 MX$27.77
51.55%
Eggs
$2.05 MX$35.44
$2.54 MX$43.82
-19.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.05 MX$191
$8.54 MX$148
29.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.61 MX$183
$8.47 MX$146
25.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.39 MX$283
$10.86 MX$188
50.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 MX$41.48
$2.73 MX$47.13
-12.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$23.87
$1.49 MX$25.77
-7.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 MX$28.88
$1.94 MX$33.55
-13.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$39.93
$2.16 MX$37.38
6.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.77
$1.85 MX$31.88
21.62%
Onion (1kg)
$2.97 MX$51.3
$2.19 MX$37.80
35.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$25.49
$1.07 MX$18.52
38.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 MX$19.16
$1.08 MX$18.71
2.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$71.6
$4.06 MX$70.1
2.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.64 MX$201
$10.46 MX$181
11.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 MX$34.39
$1.65 MX$28.56
20.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 MX$56.5
$2.55 MX$44.01
28.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.42
$0.56 MX$9.60
-1.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.82 MX$273
$26.20 MX$453
-39.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.84 MX$49.05
$3.14 MX$54.2
-9.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.67 MX$46.07
$2.37 MX$40.96
12.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.14 MX$71.6
$3.24 MX$56.0
27.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.66
$1.31 MX$22.70
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$14.7K MX$253.8K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-51.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K MX$392.4K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-4.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.6 MX$1,633
$83.1 MX$1,436
13.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.80 MX$411
$22.15 MX$383
7.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.77 MX$531
$29.37 MX$507
4.77%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.30 MX$610
$51.2 MX$884
-31.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.20 MX$228
$18.69 MX$323
-29.37%
Cinema Ticket
$8.01 MX$138
$4.89 MX$84.4
63.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$365 MX$6,309
$199 MX$3,431
83.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,310 MX$109.0K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
21.17%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.9 MX$897
$35.93 MX$621
44.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.33 MX$576
$39.39 MX$680
-15.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 MX$1,728
$80.3 MX$1,387
24.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$92.4 MX$1,595
$87.6 MX$1,512
5.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$997 MX$17.2K
$963 MX$16.6K
3.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$685 MX$11.8K
$482 MX$8,326
42.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,935 MX$33.4K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
17.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,274 MX$22.0K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
6.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,275 MX$91.1K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
33.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,631 MX$45.4K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-59.61%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Puerto Vallarta
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,031 MX$17.8K
$726 MX$12.5K
41.91%
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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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