Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ushuaia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ushuaia: $957 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ushuaia
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Ushuaia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$957

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $957 per month in Ushuaia vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ushuaia $957
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,570 per month in Ushuaia vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ushuaia $1,570
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,183 per month in Ushuaia vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ushuaia $2,183
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Ushuaia is about 21% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ushuaia and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ushuaia 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.38 ARS 15.8K

$10.76 MX$199

-3.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.08 ARS 50.2K

$43.03 MX$795

-23.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 ARS 13.7K

$11.79 MX$218

-23.16%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ARS 4,224

$3.87 MX$71.4

-28.17%

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

$1.67 ARS 2,528

$1.37 MX$25.29

21.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ARS 2,330

$0.84 MX$15.44

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 ARS 3,274

$3.10 MX$57.3

-30.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ARS 4,610

$5.07 MX$93.6

-40.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 ARS 1,984

$1.44 MX$26.55

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ARS 2,388

$2.23 MX$41.23

-29.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,069

$1.47 MX$27.17

37.41%

Eggs

$2.27 ARS 3,449

$2.53 MX$46.71

-10.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 ARS 15.4K

$7.30 MX$135

39.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 ARS 9,633

$7.86 MX$145

-19.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 ARS 14.0K

$12.79 MX$236

-27.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ARS 3,052

$2.90 MX$53.6

-30.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 ARS 3,132

$1.44 MX$26.53

43.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,933

$2.55 MX$47.07

-50.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ARS 3,980

$2.06 MX$38.03

27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ARS 1,779

$2.00 MX$36.97

-41.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ARS 1,809

$2.01 MX$37.07

-40.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ARS 2,005

$1.19 MX$22.02

10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 ARS 2,197

$1.26 MX$23.23

15.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ARS 4,716

$4.40 MX$81.4

-29.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 ARS 7,625

$9.59 MX$177

-47.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ARS 2,994

$1.59 MX$29.41

23.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ARS 4,583

$2.81 MX$51.9

7.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ARS 1,173

$0.57 MX$10.47

35.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ARS 2,224

$4.98 MX$92.1

-70.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ARS 1,308

$3.50 MX$64.6

-75.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 ARS 8,894

$5.40 MX$99.8

8.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ARS 1,671

$1.47 MX$27.08

-25.17%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

32.89%

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

$30.4K ARS 46.1M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

26.99%

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

$65.8 ARS 99.8K

$84.2 MX$1,556

-21.87%

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

$17.24 ARS 26.2K

$23.99 MX$443

-28.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.31 ARS 33.9K

$29.02 MX$536

-23.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.50 ARS 40.2K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-57.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.68 ARS 20.8K

$29.14 MX$539

-53.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.16 ARS 9,341

$4.94 MX$91.3

24.70%

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

$220 ARS 333.3K

$204 MX$3,763

7.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,731 ARS 4.1M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-30.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 ARS 113.9K

$43.60 MX$806

72.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.4 ARS 106.8K

$43.12 MX$797

63.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$75.8 MX$1,400

50.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ARS 168.4K

$88.6 MX$1,637

25.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ARS 519.2K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-66.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ARS 354.2K

$374 MX$6,911

-37.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 ARS 1.1M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-59.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 ARS 814.2K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-51.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 ARS 2.8M

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-53.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,594 ARS 2.4M

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-74.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

11.45

410.92%

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

Last update for Ushuaia: October 11, 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

Ushuaia

$233 24.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 60.3% $141

Groceries & Markets

Ushuaia

$231 24.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 11.9% $27

Eating Out

Ushuaia

$173 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 16.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Ushuaia

$167 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 32.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ushuaia

$105 11%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 30.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ushuaia

$39 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 87.7% $34

Getting Around

Ushuaia

$8.9 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 493% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $342 in Ushuaia 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Ushuaia versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $258 – making Ushuaia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

2 h behind Ushuaia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,538

149,923

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ushuaia Playa del Carmen 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ushuaia
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,436 per month in Ushuaia 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 Ushuaia, 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 $957 in Ushuaia and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $220 per month in Ushuaia and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ushuaia, where all-in costs run around $957, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Ushuaia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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