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

🙂 Solo nomad: Varadero is 13.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 29.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Varadero is 21.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 24.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.85 CUP 140
$11.88 MX$210
-50.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.19 CUP 1,133
$41.90 MX$740
12.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 CUP 222
$10.55 MX$186
-12.42%
Cappuccino
$0.97 CUP 23.36
$3.60 MX$63.5
-73.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 CUP 46.48
$1.50 MX$26.45
29.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 CUP 22.69
$0.91 MX$16.09
4.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.65 CUP 87.6
$3.08 MX$54.4
18.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 CUP 63.1
$4.47 MX$78.8
-41.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.03 CUP 72.8
$1.39 MX$24.54
117.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.30 CUP 31.24
$1.90 MX$33.47
-31.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 CUP 36.21
$1.60 MX$28.27
-5.63%
Eggs
$2.40 CUP 57.6
$2.60 MX$45.97
-7.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.86 CUP 141
$8.36 MX$148
-29.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.05 CUP 121
$8.64 MX$152
-41.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.87 CUP 285
$10.91 MX$192
8.80%
Apples (1kg)
$5.05 CUP 121
$2.61 MX$45.98
93.49%
Banana (1kg)
$0.58 CUP 13.93
$1.44 MX$25.46
-59.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.98 CUP 23.60
$1.96 MX$34.55
-50.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.12 CUP 26.96
$2.12 MX$37.34
-47.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.90 CUP 21.68
$1.86 MX$32.87
-51.61%
Onion (1kg)
$5.43 CUP 130
$2.22 MX$39.20
144.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.39 CUP 9.31
$1.02 MX$17.99
-61.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 CUP 12.84
$1.04 MX$18.36
-49.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.78 CUP 90.8
$4.05 MX$71.5
-6.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 CUP 135
$10.18 MX$180
-44.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 CUP 19.89
$1.69 MX$29.79
-50.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 CUP 16.92
$2.62 MX$46.25
-73.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.51 MX$9.09
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.86 CUP 477
$26.52 MX$468
-25.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.98 CUP 47.56
$3.15 MX$55.7
-37.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 CUP 23.71
$2.46 MX$43.49
-59.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.76 CUP 474
$3.26 MX$57.5
506.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 CUP 30.76
$1.32 MX$23.36
-3.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$68.9K CUP 1.7M
$30.1K MX$531.0K
129.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$81.1K CUP 1.9M
$23.8K MX$419.3K
241.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.98 CUP 960
$83.5 MX$1,474
-52.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.62 CUP 975
$22.86 MX$404
77.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$219 CUP 5,245
$30.04 MX$530
627.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.44 CUP 947
$51.9 MX$916
-24.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.86 CUP 357
$18.30 MX$323
-18.80%
Cinema Ticket
$1.03 CUP 24.66
$5.12 MX$90.4
-79.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$90.7 CUP 2,177
$201 MX$3,541
-54.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.2K CUP 363.7K
$5,318 MX$93.9K
184.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.97 CUP 959
$35.73 MX$631
11.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.88 CUP 717
$40.27 MX$711
-25.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.6 CUP 1,814
$79.2 MX$1,398
-4.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.1 CUP 2,019
$89.3 MX$1,576
-5.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$396 CUP 9,510
$947 MX$16.7K
-58.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$788 CUP 18.9K
$483 MX$8,525
63.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,204 CUP 28.9K
$1,599 MX$28.2K
-24.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$648 CUP 15.6K
$1,211 MX$21.4K
-46.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$400 CUP 9,602
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-89.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$348 CUP 8,350
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-94.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$18.88 CUP 453
$730 MX$12.9K
-97.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
11.42
31.35%

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

Last update for Varadero: January 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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