Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varadero and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Varadero and in Playa del Carmen: $1,173 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Varadero
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Varadero Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Varadero

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,173

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varadero and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Varadero and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,173 per month in Varadero vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Varadero $1,173
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,546 per month in Varadero vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Varadero $1,546
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,920 per month in Varadero vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Varadero $1,920
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Varadero is about 3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Varadero and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Varadero 14% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 CUP 86.2

$10.92 MX$204

-67.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.95 CUP 479

$43.37 MX$810

-54.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 CUP 123

$11.78 MX$220

-56.54%

Cappuccino

$1.01 CUP 24.20

$3.81 MX$71.2

-73.49%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CUP 37.97

$1.28 MX$23.96

23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.81

$0.78 MX$14.63

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 CUP 29.24

$3.17 MX$59.2

-61.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 CUP 48.31

$4.93 MX$92.2

-59.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.71 CUP 65.0

$1.41 MX$26.28

92.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 CUP 35.41

$2.22 MX$41.43

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 CUP 35.98

$1.42 MX$26.48

5.63%

Eggs

$2.16 CUP 51.9

$2.52 MX$47.14

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.51 CUP 108

$7.26 MX$136

-37.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 CUP 106

$7.70 MX$144

-42.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 CUP 210

$12.69 MX$237

-31.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 CUP 83.7

$2.78 MX$52.0

25.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CUP 25.28

$1.37 MX$25.56

-23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 CUP 37.96

$2.55 MX$47.66

-38.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 CUP 38.52

$2.12 MX$39.67

-24.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 CUP 53.1

$1.94 MX$36.22

13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 CUP 66.4

$1.89 MX$35.24

46.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 CUP 15.78

$1.15 MX$21.42

-42.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 CUP 12.57

$1.18 MX$22.03

-55.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 CUP 39.22

$4.30 MX$80.3

-62.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.28 CUP 127

$9.95 MX$186

-46.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 CUP 21.29

$1.58 MX$29.59

-43.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 CUP 51.7

$2.67 MX$49.91

-19.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.09 CUP 2.13

$0.55 MX$10.34

-83.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.73 CUP 378

$26.62 MX$497

-40.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 CUP 47.41

$4.97 MX$92.9

-60.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 CUP 8.10

$3.33 MX$62.2

-89.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.68 CUP 472

$5.36 MX$100

267.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CUP 31.91

$1.44 MX$26.98

-7.64%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$70.4K CUP 1.7M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

240.85%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$81.3K CUP 2.0M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

246.39%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$39.23 CUP 941

$84.8 MX$1,584

-53.73%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$39.53 CUP 949

$23.41 MX$437

68.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.0 CUP 2,184

$28.66 MX$535

217.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.45 CUP 947

$57.1 MX$1,066

-30.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 CUP 361

$28.91 MX$540

-47.98%

Cinema Ticket

$0.88 CUP 21.05

$5.14 MX$96.0

-82.88%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$89.4 CUP 2,144

$207 MX$3,860

-56.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K CUP 302.0K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

220.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.42 CUP 946

$43.35 MX$810

-9.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.09 CUP 722

$41.44 MX$774

-27.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 CUP 1,818

$74.2 MX$1,386

2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 CUP 1,631

$89.3 MX$1,668

-23.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 CUP 11.8K

$980 MX$18.3K

-49.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 CUP 13.7K

$381 MX$7,116

50.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 CUP 28.7K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-29.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 CUP 15.5K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-40.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$396 CUP 9,494

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-89.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 CUP 8,323

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-94.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$19.53 CUP 469

$735 MX$13.7K

-97.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

11.45

-20.52%

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

Last update for Varadero: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Varadero

$573 48.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 33.5% $192

Groceries & Markets

Varadero

$197 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varadero

$170 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 19.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Varadero

$96 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16.4% $16

Eating Out

Varadero

$77 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 164% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Varadero

$41 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 63.4% $26

Getting Around

Varadero

$20 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 155% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $492 in Varadero versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 38 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Varadero versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $255 – making Varadero the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Varadero

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

02:53 2:53 AM

1 h behind Varadero

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,170

149,923

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.71 CUP (100 CUP = 3.74 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Varadero Playa del Carmen 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Varadero
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Varadero vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,759 per month in Varadero and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varadero, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $492 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,173 in Varadero and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Varadero. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,173 in Varadero and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Varadero – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Varadero. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.