Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilagarcia de Arousa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa: $1,121 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Vilagarcia de Arousa
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Vilagarcia de Arousa Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Vilagarcia de Arousa

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,121

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,121 per month in Vilagarcia de Arousa vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,121
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,664 per month in Vilagarcia de Arousa vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,664
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,206 per month in Vilagarcia de Arousa vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vilagarcia de Arousa $2,206
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Vilagarcia de Arousa is about 7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vilagarcia de Arousa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Vilagarcia de Arousa 17% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.72 €7.76

$10.67 MX$199

-18.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.72 €33.57

$43.80 MX$815

-13.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 €8.18

$11.79 MX$219

-22.05%

Cappuccino

$1.79 €1.59

$3.79 MX$70.5

-52.77%

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

$2.46 €2.19

$1.30 MX$24.14

89.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.41

$0.83 MX$15.51

90.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 €2.13

$3.15 MX$58.6

-24.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.01

$4.93 MX$91.8

-31.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.41 MX$26.22

-29.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 €1.18

$2.20 MX$40.86

-40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.47 MX$27.40

17.69%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$2.50 MX$46.46

22.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.63 €5.90

$7.29 MX$136

-9.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 €6.41

$7.95 MX$148

-9.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.33 €7.42

$12.86 MX$239

-35.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.90 MX$53.9

-13.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.38 MX$25.74

100.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.49 MX$46.35

-5.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.03 MX$37.77

12.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.02 MX$37.68

2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.90 MX$35.42

32.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.14 MX$21.30

32.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.24 MX$23.05

-44.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 €4.38

$4.27 MX$79.5

15.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 €3.89

$9.81 MX$183

-55.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.59 MX$29.51

-32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.75 MX$51.1

-26.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 €1.39

$0.51 MX$9.58

205.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 €17.12

$27.39 MX$510

-29.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 €4.25

$4.76 MX$88.6

0.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 €1.08

$3.25 MX$60.5

-62.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.13 €17.03

$5.39 MX$100

254.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.53 MX$28.44

13.73%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

65.89%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

33.15%

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

$151 €134

$83.5 MX$1,554

80.50%

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

$16.34 €14.54

$23.19 MX$431

-29.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.37 €27.03

$27.61 MX$514

10.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.00 €24.92

$56.4 MX$1,050

-50.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.32 €13.63

$28.19 MX$525

-45.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.31 €7.39

$5.00 MX$93.1

66.20%

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

$271 €241

$207 MX$3,854

31.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,678 €8,612

$5,231 MX$97.3K

85.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 €64.2

$43.45 MX$809

65.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 €27.10

$42.54 MX$792

-28.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 €63.8

$72.8 MX$1,354

-1.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$88.4 MX$1,645

48.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 €480

$995 MX$18.5K

-45.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 €298

$382 MX$7,116

-12.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 €685

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-54.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 €444

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-53.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,433 €1,275

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-63.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$846 €753

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-86.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,288 €2,036

$832 MX$15.5K

174.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

11.45

-68.73%

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

Last update for Vilagarcia de Arousa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$335 29.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 14.2% $48

Groceries & Markets

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$217 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 18.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$197 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 32% $63

Eating Out

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$154 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 30.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$138 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 19.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$45 4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 48.9% $22

Getting Around

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$36 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 38.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $540 in Vilagarcia de Arousa versus $995 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 Vilagarcia de Arousa are about 2.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Vilagarcia de Arousa versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $257 – making Vilagarcia de Arousa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Vilagarcia de Arousa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

01:48 1:48 AM

6 h behind Vilagarcia de Arousa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,689

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vilagarcia de Arousa Playa del Carmen 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Vilagarcia de Arousa
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

Vilagarcia de Arousa vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,682 per month in Vilagarcia de Arousa and $1,804 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 Vilagarcia de Arousa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $540 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Vilagarcia de Arousa about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Vilagarcia de Arousa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Vilagarcia de Arousa is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 7% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.