Cost of Living Comparison Between Van and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Van and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Van is 37.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 27.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Van is 3.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 41.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Van
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.47 โ‚บ255
$11.99 MX$227
-46.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.5 โ‚บ688
$42.47 MX$803
-58.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.28 โ‚บ286
$10.47 MX$198
-30.47%
Cappuccino
$2.96 โ‚บ117
$3.6 MX$68.2
-17.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 โ‚บ38.47
$1.44 MX$27.16
-31.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 โ‚บ9.36
$0.89 MX$16.79
-73.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.09 โ‚บ161
$3.09 MX$58.5
32.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 โ‚บ153
$4.58 MX$86.6
-15.28%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Van
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 โ‚บ40.88
$1.38 MX$26.04
-24.64%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 โ‚บ28.79
$1.85 MX$34.9
-60.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 โ‚บ85.9
$1.57 MX$29.68
38.85%
Eggs
$1.88 โ‚บ73.9
$2.55 MX$48.3
-26.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.48 โ‚บ373
$8.61 MX$163
10.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.64 โ‚บ222
$8.54 MX$161
-33.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.68 โ‚บ656
$10.98 MX$208
51.91%
Apples (1kg)
$1.05 โ‚บ41.36
$2.72 MX$51.4
-61.40%
Banana (1kg)
$2.08 โ‚บ82
$1.51 MX$28.57
37.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.06 โ‚บ41.64
$1.88 MX$35.63
-43.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.87 โ‚บ34.25
$2.19 MX$41.42
-60.27%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 โ‚บ27.3
$1.87 MX$35.3
-63.10%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 โ‚บ25.35
$2.19 MX$41.37
-70.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.85 โ‚บ33.27
$1.07 MX$20.23
-20.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 โ‚บ19.06
$1.09 MX$20.64
-55.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.99 โ‚บ78.3
$3.96 MX$74.9
-49.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.7 โ‚บ421
$8.86 MX$167
20.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.11 โ‚บ83.2
$1.72 MX$32.53
22.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.5 โ‚บ98.3
$2.61 MX$49.37
-4.21%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Van
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 โ‚บ17.36
$0.52 MX$9.74
-15.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.94 โ‚บ1,925
$26.59 MX$503
84.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 โ‚บ61.7
$3.24 MX$61.2
-51.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 โ‚บ24.16
$2.38 MX$44.94
-74.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.62 โ‚บ339
$3.11 MX$58.7
177.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 โ‚บ45.32
$1.31 MX$24.85
-12.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.5K โ‚บ1.6M
$30.3K MX$573K
30.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.3K โ‚บ1.7M
$24K MX$453.6K
76.29%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Van
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.7 โ‚บ3,724
$84.2 MX$1,592
12.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.2 โ‚บ401
$22.14 MX$419
-53.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.83 โ‚บ348
$30.14 MX$570
-70.70%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Van
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.88 โ‚บ1,176
$52 MX$983
-42.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.01 โ‚บ118
$5.07 MX$95.9
-40.63%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Van
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$612 โ‚บ24.1K
$200 MX$3,787
205.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,745 โ‚บ304.7K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
45.24%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Van
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.6 โ‚บ2,815
$35.74 MX$676
100.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.02 โ‚บ1,181
$39.8 MX$753
-24.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.8 โ‚บ3,414
$79 MX$1,493
9.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.6 โ‚บ1,989
$88.4 MX$1,671
-42.77%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Van
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$322 โ‚บ12.7K
$965 MX$18.3K
-66.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$226 โ‚บ8,904
$474 MX$8,968
-52.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$547 โ‚บ21.5K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-66.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 โ‚บ15K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-68.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,380 โ‚บ54.3K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-55.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,086 โ‚บ42.7K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-85.57%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Van
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$601 โ‚บ23.6K
$792 MX$15K
-24.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
36.83
11.42
222.50%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Van: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.