Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varese and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,113 in Varese, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Varese
Learn more

Varese Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Varese

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,113

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varese 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 Varese and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,113 per month in Varese vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Varese $2,113
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,466 per month in Varese vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Varese $3,466
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,818 per month in Varese vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Varese $4,818
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Varese costs about 75% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Varese sits 55% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.31

$10.92 MX$205

107.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.7

$43.37 MX$814

135.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.88

$11.78 MX$221

12.56%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.02

$3.81 MX$71.5

-40.94%

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

$3.54 €3.17

$1.28 MX$24.07

176.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$0.78 MX$14.70

108.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.92

$3.17 MX$59.5

108.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$4.93 MX$92.7

32.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.41 MX$26.40

21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.22 MX$41.62

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.18

$1.42 MX$26.61

150.00%

Eggs

$5.01 €4.48

$2.52 MX$47.36

98.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.22 €27.96

$7.26 MX$136

330.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.97 €11.62

$7.70 MX$144

68.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.61 €24.73

$12.69 MX$238

117.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.66

$2.78 MX$52.3

6.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 €2.65

$1.37 MX$25.68

115.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 €2.78

$2.55 MX$47.89

21.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.98

$2.12 MX$39.86

56.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$1.94 MX$36.39

29.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.89 MX$35.41

13.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.15 MX$21.53

93.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.18 MX$22.13

-45.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 €6.98

$4.30 MX$80.6

81.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.03 €8.09

$9.95 MX$187

-9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.58 MX$29.73

10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.67 MX$50.1

-37.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 €2.38

$0.55 MX$10.39

383.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.50 €44.33

$26.62 MX$500

85.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.97

$4.97 MX$93.3

11.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.02

$3.33 MX$62.5

-32.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.89 €35.73

$5.36 MX$101

644.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.44 MX$27.11

49.31%

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

$36.9K €33.1K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

78.75%

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

$34.7K €31.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

47.99%

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

$219 €197

$84.8 MX$1,592

158.78%

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

$12.64 €11.32

$23.41 MX$439

-46.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.52

$28.66 MX$538

15.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 €48.73

$57.1 MX$1,071

-4.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.78 €22.19

$28.91 MX$543

-14.29%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 €10.62

$5.14 MX$96.5

130.54%

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

$726 €650

$207 MX$3,878

251.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,098 €6,357

$3,927 MX$73.7K

80.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.1

$43.35 MX$814

152.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 €50.2

$41.44 MX$778

35.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.3

$74.2 MX$1,393

49.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 €144

$89.3 MX$1,676

80.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 €821

$980 MX$18.4K

-6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 €665

$381 MX$7,150

94.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 €1,506

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-1.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 €1,406

$1,075 MX$20.2K

45.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,516 €2,254

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-36.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,712 €1,533

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-72.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,420 €2,167

$735 MX$13.8K

229.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

11.45

-67.42%

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

Last update for Varese: October 27, 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

Varese

$742 35.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 48.7% $361

Groceries & Markets

Varese

$439 20.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 41.9% $184

Eating Out

Varese

$315 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 35.8% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varese

$265 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Varese

$197 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 43.3% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Varese

$78 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Varese

$77 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 34.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $917 in Varese 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 Varese are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Varese versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $439 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Varese

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

10:48 10:48 AM

6 h behind Varese

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,511

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varese Playa del Carmen 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Varese
Playa del Carmen

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Varese is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,169 per month in Varese and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $917 in Varese and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,113 in Varese and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 43% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Varese at $2,113. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varese it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,113 in Varese. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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