Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Villa María and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,270 in Villa María, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Villa María despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Villa María
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Villa María Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Villa María

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,270

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Villa María vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Villa María $1,270
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,126 per month in Villa María vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Villa María $2,126
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,982 per month in Villa María vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Villa María $2,982
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Villa María costs about 6% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Villa María and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Villa María 6% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.28 ARS 26.7K

$10.67 MX$199

61.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 ARS 89.0K

$43.80 MX$815

31.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.91 ARS 19.9K

$11.79 MX$219

9.50%

Cappuccino

$3.79 ARS 5,854

$3.79 MX$70.5

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

$2.25 ARS 3,474

$1.30 MX$24.14

73.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ARS 3,014

$0.83 MX$15.51

134.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 ARS 5,653

$3.15 MX$58.6

16.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ARS 6,190

$4.93 MX$91.8

-18.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 ARS 2,064

$1.41 MX$26.22

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 ARS 3,372

$2.20 MX$40.86

-0.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ARS 2,786

$1.47 MX$27.40

22.45%

Eggs

$2.72 ARS 4,204

$2.50 MX$46.46

8.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.75 ARS 18.2K

$7.29 MX$136

61.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 ARS 12.1K

$7.95 MX$148

-1.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.36 ARS 17.5K

$12.86 MX$239

-11.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 ARS 3,782

$2.90 MX$53.9

-15.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 ARS 3,389

$1.38 MX$25.74

58.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ARS 2,307

$2.49 MX$46.35

-40.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 ARS 4,230

$2.03 MX$37.77

34.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 ARS 1,731

$2.02 MX$37.68

-44.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ARS 1,466

$1.90 MX$35.42

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 ARS 2,301

$1.24 MX$23.05

20.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 ARS 5,010

$4.27 MX$79.5

-24.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 ARS 7,855

$9.81 MX$183

-48.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 ARS 3,312

$1.59 MX$29.51

34.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 ARS 5,262

$2.75 MX$51.1

24.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ARS 1,571

$0.51 MX$9.58

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ARS 2,266

$4.76 MX$88.6

-69.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ARS 1,815

$1.53 MX$28.44

-23.53%

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

$25.3K ARS 39.1M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

19.24%

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

$32.8K ARS 50.6M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

40.88%

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

$126 ARS 194.5K

$83.5 MX$1,554

50.81%

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

$17.16 ARS 26.5K

$23.19 MX$431

-26.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.88 ARS 36.9K

$27.61 MX$514

-13.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.02 ARS 47.9K

$56.4 MX$1,050

-45.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 ARS 31.4K

$28.19 MX$525

-27.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 ARS 14.0K

$5.00 MX$93.1

80.60%

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

$234 ARS 361.1K

$207 MX$3,854

12.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,153 ARS 6.4M

$5,231 MX$97.3K

-20.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 ARS 175.7K

$43.45 MX$809

161.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.2 ARS 127.1K

$42.54 MX$792

93.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ARS 171.4K

$72.8 MX$1,354

52.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ARS 180.5K

$88.4 MX$1,645

32.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 ARS 796.4K

$995 MX$18.5K

-48.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 ARS 517.5K

$382 MX$7,116

-12.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 ARS 1.6M

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-37.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 ARS 1.3M

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-24.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,266 ARS 2.0M

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-79.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Villa María: 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

Villa María

$335 26.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 14.2% $47

Eating Out

Villa María

$266 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 24.6% $65

Groceries & Markets

Villa María

$257 * 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Villa María

$191 15%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 41.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Villa María

$167 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 19.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Villa María

$49 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 35.4% $17

Getting Around

Villa María

$5.5 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 812% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $515 in Villa María 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Villa María versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Villa María vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Villa María wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Villa María

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

2 h behind Villa María

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,006

149,923

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,728 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Villa María Playa del Carmen 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Villa María
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

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

Yes – Villa María is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,905 per month in Villa María 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 Villa María, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $515 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Villa María and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $234 per month in Villa María and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,270 in Villa María and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,270 in Villa María. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.