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

😐 Solo nomad: Varadero is 8.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 27.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Varadero is 1.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 20.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.67 CUP 136
$11.85 MX$209
-52.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.05 CUP 1,153
$42.16 MX$744
13.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.94 CUP 215
$10.75 MX$190
-16.84%
Cappuccino
$1.02 CUP 24.43
$3.47 MX$61.3
-70.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 CUP 46.35
$1.45 MX$25.65
33.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 CUP 23.29
$0.90 MX$15.93
7.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.80 CUP 91.2
$3.05 MX$53.9
24.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 CUP 60.2
$4.42 MX$77.9
-43.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.09 CUP 74.1
$1.37 MX$24.17
125.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 CUP 31.51
$1.87 MX$33.05
-29.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.45 CUP 34.70
$1.54 MX$27.25
-5.84%
Eggs
$2.31 CUP 55.5
$2.50 MX$44.18
-7.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.15 CUP 147
$8.61 MX$152
-28.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.95 CUP 119
$8.63 MX$152
-42.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.88 CUP 285
$11.02 MX$195
7.80%
Apples (1kg)
$5.08 CUP 122
$2.75 MX$48.53
84.73%
Banana (1kg)
$0.54 CUP 12.92
$1.43 MX$25.21
-62.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.99 CUP 23.74
$1.87 MX$33.05
-47.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.08 CUP 25.92
$2.17 MX$38.26
-50.23%
Potato (1kg)
$0.90 CUP 21.56
$1.88 MX$33.23
-52.13%
Onion (1kg)
$5.59 CUP 134
$2.25 MX$39.65
148.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.36 CUP 8.54
$1.07 MX$18.85
-66.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 CUP 13.17
$1.07 MX$18.95
-48.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.72 CUP 89.3
$4.15 MX$73.3
-10.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.43 CUP 130
$10.34 MX$182
-47.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 CUP 20.69
$1.68 MX$29.64
-48.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 CUP 18.35
$2.48 MX$43.84
-69.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.55 MX$9.80
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.80 CUP 475
$26.53 MX$468
-25.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.94 CUP 46.63
$3.22 MX$56.8
-39.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 CUP 23.63
$2.48 MX$43.80
-60.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.04 CUP 481
$3.11 MX$54.9
544.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 CUP 31.89
$1.26 MX$22.16
5.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$70.1K CUP 1.7M
$30.7K MX$541.1K
128.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$79.9K CUP 1.9M
$24.0K MX$424.3K
232.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.20 CUP 941
$82.5 MX$1,456
-52.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.71 CUP 977
$22.29 MX$393
82.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$216 CUP 5,195
$30.02 MX$530
621.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.25 CUP 966
$51.4 MX$908
-21.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.12 CUP 363
$18.29 MX$323
-17.33%
Cinema Ticket
$0.98 CUP 23.46
$4.98 MX$88.0
-80.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$88.5 CUP 2,124
$200 MX$3,530
-55.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K CUP 354.3K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
178.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.83 CUP 956
$35.71 MX$630
11.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.36 CUP 729
$39.56 MX$698
-23.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.6 CUP 1,766
$80.6 MX$1,422
-8.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.3 CUP 2,046
$88.3 MX$1,559
-3.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$394 CUP 9,445
$969 MX$17.1K
-59.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$806 CUP 19.3K
$482 MX$8,511
67.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 CUP 28.6K
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-25.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$644 CUP 15.4K
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-45.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$402 CUP 9,652
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-90.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$345 CUP 8,279
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-94.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$19.20 CUP 461
$756 MX$13.4K
-97.46%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 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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