Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punto Fijo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Punto Fijo: $983 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Punto Fijo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$983

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Punto Fijo $983
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,709 per month in Punto Fijo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Punto Fijo $1,709
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,435 per month in Punto Fijo vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Punto Fijo $2,435
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Punto Fijo is about 18% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.04 VES 13.3K

$10.92 MX$203

37.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 VES 70.5K

$43.37 MX$808

83.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

Cappuccino

$2.28 VES 2,018

$3.81 MX$71.0

-40.16%

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

$1.47 VES 1,303

$1.28 MX$23.89

14.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 VES 602

$0.78 MX$14.58

-12.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 VES 1,810

$3.17 MX$59.0

-35.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 VES 5,013

$4.93 MX$91.9

14.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.55 VES 2,261

$1.41 MX$26.20

80.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 VES 2,257

$2.22 MX$41.30

14.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 VES 3,164

$1.42 MX$26.40

151.41%

Eggs

$6.24 VES 5,533

$2.52 MX$47.00

147.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.08 VES 5,394

$7.26 MX$135

-16.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 VES 4,413

$7.70 MX$143

-35.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.03 VES 4,458

$12.69 MX$236

-60.36%

Apples (1kg)

$8.08 VES 7,166

$2.78 MX$51.9

190.65%

Banana (1kg)

$4.88 VES 4,325

$1.37 MX$25.49

256.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.95 VES 4,392

$2.55 MX$47.52

94.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

Potato (1kg)

$5.86 VES 5,193

$1.94 MX$36.11

202.06%

Onion (1kg)

$5.14 VES 4,557

$1.89 MX$35.13

171.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 VES 2,734

$1.15 MX$21.36

167.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 VES 1,314

$1.18 MX$21.96

25.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 VES 3,590

$4.30 MX$80.0

-5.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 VES 1,726

$1.58 MX$29.50

23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 VES 4,400

$2.67 MX$49.76

85.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 VES 1,130

$0.55 MX$10.31

130.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$6.81 VES 6,037

$3.33 MX$62.1

104.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 VES 460

$1.44 MX$26.90

-63.89%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

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

$49.23 VES 43.7K

$84.8 MX$1,580

-41.94%

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

$10.03 VES 8,891

$23.41 MX$436

-57.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 VES 33.4K

$28.66 MX$534

31.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.86 VES 35.3K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-30.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

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

$197 VES 175.0K

$207 MX$3,848

-4.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,627 VES 3.2M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-7.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.35 VES 31.3K

$74.2 MX$1,382

-52.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 VES 347.7K

$980 MX$18.2K

-59.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 VES 264.5K

$381 MX$7,095

-21.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$797 VES 706.8K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-53.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 VES 532.5K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-44.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$196 VES 173.9K

$735 MX$13.7K

-73.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Punto Fijo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Punto Fijo

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Punto Fijo

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Punto Fijo

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punto Fijo

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Punto Fijo

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Punto Fijo

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Punto Fijo

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Punto Fijo 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 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Punto Fijo versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Punto Fijo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

13:14 1:14 PM

1 h behind Punto Fijo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

277,017

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 = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 887 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 989 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Punto Fijo Playa del Carmen 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Punto Fijo
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,475 per month in Punto Fijo 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 Punto Fijo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $983 in Punto Fijo and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Punto Fijo about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $197 per month in Punto Fijo and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $983 in Punto Fijo and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Punto Fijo – 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 Punto Fijo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.