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

😐 Solo nomad: Varadero is 15.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 28.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Varadero is 22.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 23% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.87 CUP 141
$11.61 MX$200
-49.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.11 CUP 1,131
$42.75 MX$738
10.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.79 CUP 211
$10.60 MX$183
-17.08%
Cappuccino
$0.97 CUP 23.31
$3.59 MX$62.0
-72.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 CUP 45.88
$1.45 MX$25.08
31.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 CUP 23.50
$0.90 MX$15.50
8.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.64 CUP 87.4
$3.03 MX$52.4
20.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 CUP 62.9
$4.56 MX$78.8
-42.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.95 CUP 70.7
$1.45 MX$25.07
103.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 CUP 31.44
$1.83 MX$31.55
-28.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 CUP 36.06
$1.61 MX$27.77
-6.83%
Eggs
$2.39 CUP 57.4
$2.54 MX$43.82
-5.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.99 CUP 144
$8.54 MX$148
-29.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.94 CUP 119
$8.47 MX$146
-41.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.17 CUP 292
$10.86 MX$188
12.06%
Apples (1kg)
$4.95 CUP 119
$2.73 MX$47.13
81.32%
Banana (1kg)
$0.58 CUP 13.88
$1.49 MX$25.77
-61.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.02 CUP 24.45
$1.94 MX$33.55
-47.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.13 CUP 27.04
$2.16 MX$37.38
-47.69%
Potato (1kg)
$0.95 CUP 22.82
$1.85 MX$31.88
-48.65%
Onion (1kg)
$5.50 CUP 132
$2.19 MX$37.80
151.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 CUP 8.52
$1.07 MX$18.52
-67.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 CUP 12.87
$1.08 MX$18.71
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.63 CUP 87.0
$4.06 MX$70.1
-10.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.73 CUP 138
$10.46 MX$181
-45.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 CUP 19.89
$1.65 MX$28.56
-49.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 CUP 16.94
$2.55 MX$44.01
-72.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.56 MX$9.60
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.12 CUP 483
$26.20 MX$453
-23.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.99 CUP 47.65
$3.14 MX$54.2
-36.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 CUP 24.41
$2.37 MX$40.96
-56.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.39 CUP 489
$3.24 MX$56.0
529.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 CUP 30.40
$1.31 MX$22.70
-3.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$69.1K CUP 1.7M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
126.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$78.5K CUP 1.9M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
229.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.55 CUP 949
$83.1 MX$1,436
-52.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.58 CUP 974
$22.15 MX$383
83.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$221 CUP 5,300
$29.37 MX$507
651.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.54 CUP 949
$51.2 MX$884
-22.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.02 CUP 360
$18.69 MX$323
-19.64%
Cinema Ticket
$1.02 CUP 24.40
$4.89 MX$84.4
-79.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$88.9 CUP 2,133
$199 MX$3,431
-55.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K CUP 355.7K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
184.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.78 CUP 955
$35.93 MX$621
10.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.32 CUP 728
$39.39 MX$680
-23.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.7 CUP 1,816
$80.3 MX$1,387
-5.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.2 CUP 2,044
$87.6 MX$1,512
-2.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$403 CUP 9,679
$963 MX$16.6K
-58.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$809 CUP 19.4K
$482 MX$8,326
67.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,196 CUP 28.7K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-27.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$639 CUP 15.3K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-46.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$400 CUP 9,598
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-89.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$351 CUP 8,431
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-94.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Varadero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$18.99 CUP 456
$726 MX$12.5K
-97.39%
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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

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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