Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quilmes and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $965 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index
57

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

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Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Quilmes vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Quilmes $965
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,625 per month in Quilmes vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Quilmes $1,625
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,285 per month in Quilmes vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Quilmes $2,285
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Quilmes is about 20% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Quilmes and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Quilmes 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.65 ARS 8,758

$10.67 MX$201

-47.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 ARS 53.3K

$43.80 MX$824

-21.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 ARS 14.1K

$11.79 MX$222

-22.90%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ARS 4,534

$3.79 MX$71.2

-22.96%

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

$1.71 ARS 2,651

$1.30 MX$24.41

31.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ARS 2,646

$0.83 MX$15.69

106.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 ARS 6,068

$3.15 MX$59.2

24.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ARS 3,519

$4.93 MX$92.9

-53.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ARS 1,585

$1.41 MX$26.51

-27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ARS 2,430

$2.20 MX$41.32

-28.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ARS 2,581

$1.47 MX$27.71

12.93%

Eggs

$2.28 ARS 3,538

$2.50 MX$46.99

-8.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.23 ARS 20.5K

$7.29 MX$137

81.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 ARS 9,164

$7.95 MX$150

-25.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 ARS 15.3K

$12.86 MX$242

-23.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ARS 3,111

$2.90 MX$54.5

-30.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ARS 2,367

$1.38 MX$26.03

10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 ARS 1,633

$2.49 MX$46.88

-57.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 ARS 4,625

$2.03 MX$38.20

46.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ARS 1,546

$2.02 MX$38.11

-50.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ARS 983

$1.90 MX$35.82

-66.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ARS 1,108

$1.14 MX$21.54

-37.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ARS 1,137

$1.24 MX$23.32

-41.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ARS 7,679

$4.27 MX$80.4

15.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 ARS 6,439

$9.81 MX$185

-57.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ARS 1,918

$1.59 MX$29.85

-22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ARS 3,030

$2.75 MX$51.7

-29.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,527

$0.51 MX$9.69

92.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ARS 2,369

$4.76 MX$89.6

-67.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,592

$3.25 MX$61.1

-68.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ARS 1,701

$1.53 MX$28.76

-28.10%

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

$49.8K ARS 77.2M

$21.2K MX$399.2K

134.57%

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

$38.9K ARS 60.2M

$23.3K MX$437.8K

67.00%

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

$59.9 ARS 92.8K

$83.5 MX$1,571

-28.28%

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

$14.37 ARS 22.3K

$23.19 MX$436

-38.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.27 ARS 34.5K

$27.61 MX$520

-19.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.86 ARS 49.4K

$56.4 MX$1,062

-43.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.27 ARS 31.4K

$28.19 MX$531

-28.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 ARS 15.5K

$5.00 MX$94.1

99.80%

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

$233 ARS 360.7K

$207 MX$3,897

12.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,175 ARS 6.5M

$5,231 MX$98.4K

-20.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 ARS 147.8K

$43.45 MX$818

119.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.60 ARS 53.7K

$42.54 MX$801

-18.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.1 ARS 99.3K

$72.8 MX$1,369

-11.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ARS 110.7K

$88.4 MX$1,663

-19.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 ARS 800.0K

$995 MX$18.7K

-48.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ARS 508.4K

$382 MX$7,197

-14.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ARS 1.7M

$1,674 MX$31.5K

-35.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 ARS 1.3M

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-24.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,356 ARS 3.7M

$3,909 MX$73.6K

-39.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,275 ARS 2.0M

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-79.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ARS 1.7M

$832 MX$15.7K

33.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

11.45

773.36%

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

Last update for Quilmes: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quilmes

$328 34%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 16.6% $54

Groceries & Markets

Quilmes

$213 22.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 20.8% $44

Eating Out

Quilmes

$145 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 37.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Quilmes

$119 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 6.9% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quilmes

$97 10%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 39.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Quilmes

$52 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 28.2% $15

Getting Around

Quilmes

$11 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 376% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $516 in Quilmes versus $995 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 34% higher in Quilmes, 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 $34 in Quilmes versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $257 – making Quilmes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

22:09 10:09 PM

2 h behind Quilmes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,810

149,923

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,551 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,734 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Quilmes Playa del Carmen 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Quilmes
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,447 per month in Quilmes and $1,804 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 Quilmes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $516 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $965 in Quilmes and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Quilmes about 20% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $233 per month in Quilmes 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 $965 in Quilmes and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $965 in Quilmes to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.