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

🙂 Solo nomad: Varadero is 17.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 27% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Varadero is 4.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.68 CUP 136
$11.99 MX$227
-52.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.31 CUP 1,136
$42.47 MX$803
11.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.14 CUP 219
$10.47 MX$198
-12.70%
Cappuccino
$1.02 CUP 24.56
$3.6 MX$68.2
-71.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 CUP 45.77
$1.44 MX$27.16
32.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1 CUP 23.98
$0.89 MX$16.79
12.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.65 CUP 87.7
$3.09 MX$58.5
18.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 CUP 61.4
$4.58 MX$86.6
-44.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.96 CUP 71.2
$1.38 MX$26.04
114.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 CUP 29.98
$1.85 MX$34.9
-32.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.5 CUP 36.09
$1.57 MX$29.68
-4.46%
Eggs
$2.39 CUP 57.3
$2.55 MX$48.3
-6.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.84 CUP 140
$8.61 MX$163
-32.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.1 CUP 122
$8.54 MX$161
-40.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.21 CUP 293
$10.98 MX$208
11.20%
Apples (1kg)
$5.12 CUP 123
$2.72 MX$51.4
88.24%
Banana (1kg)
$0.58 CUP 13.92
$1.51 MX$28.57
-61.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.01 CUP 24.31
$1.88 MX$35.63
-46.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 CUP 27.25
$2.19 MX$41.42
-47.95%
Potato (1kg)
$0.95 CUP 22.9
$1.87 MX$35.3
-49.20%
Onion (1kg)
$5.57 CUP 134
$2.19 MX$41.37
154.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.38 CUP 9.19
$1.07 MX$20.23
-64.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 CUP 12.94
$1.09 MX$20.64
-50.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.72 CUP 89.2
$3.96 MX$74.9
-6.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.34 CUP 128
$8.86 MX$167
-39.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.8 CUP 19.25
$1.72 MX$32.53
-53.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 CUP 16.99
$2.61 MX$49.37
-72.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.88 CUP 477
$26.59 MX$503
-25.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.01 CUP 48.35
$3.24 MX$61.2
-37.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 CUP 24.34
$2.38 MX$44.94
-57.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.32 CUP 488
$3.11 MX$58.7
553.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 CUP 30.28
$1.31 MX$24.85
-3.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$70.1K CUP 1.7M
$30.3K MX$573K
131.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$81.5K CUP 2M
$24K MX$453.6K
239.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.33 CUP 968
$84.2 MX$1,592
-52.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.96 CUP 959
$22.14 MX$419
80.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$217 CUP 5,202
$30.14 MX$570
619.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.84 CUP 956
$52 MX$983
-23.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.96 CUP 359
$18.72 MX$354
-20.09%
Cinema Ticket
$0.97 CUP 23.39
$5.07 MX$95.9
-80.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$88.5 CUP 2,124
$200 MX$3,787
-55.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K CUP 355.2K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
177.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.03 CUP 961
$35.74 MX$676
12.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.36 CUP 729
$39.8 MX$753
-23.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.3 CUP 1,830
$79 MX$1,493
-3.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.3 CUP 2,000
$88.4 MX$1,671
-5.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$396 CUP 9,512
$965 MX$18.3K
-58.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$806 CUP 19.4K
$474 MX$8,968
70.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,213 CUP 29.1K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-26.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$646 CUP 15.5K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-46.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$394 CUP 9,465
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-87.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$356 CUP 8,548
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-95.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$19.57 CUP 470
$792 MX$15K
-97.53%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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