Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Villa Nueva and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Villa Nueva: $761 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Villa Nueva

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$761

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $761 per month in Villa Nueva vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Villa Nueva $761
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,265 per month in Villa Nueva vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Villa Nueva $1,265
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,768 per month in Villa Nueva vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Villa Nueva $1,768
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Villa Nueva is about 37% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Villa Nueva and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Villa Nueva 44% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.07 Q 69.3

$10.67 MX$198

-15.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.6 Q 402

$43.80 MX$813

20.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 Q 65.3

$11.79 MX$219

-27.57%

Cappuccino

$3.94 Q 30.08

$3.79 MX$70.3

3.96%

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

$2.10 Q 16.06

$1.30 MX$24.09

61.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 Q 11.69

$0.83 MX$15.48

84.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.82 Q 29.19

$3.15 MX$58.4

21.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 Q 46.28

$4.93 MX$91.6

22.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 Q 16.10

$1.41 MX$26.16

49.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 Q 27.58

$2.20 MX$40.77

64.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 Q 15.26

$1.47 MX$27.35

36.05%

Eggs

$2.41 Q 18.41

$2.50 MX$46.37

-3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.34 Q 40.83

$7.29 MX$135

-26.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 Q 24.64

$7.95 MX$148

-59.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 Q 77.9

$12.86 MX$239

-20.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 Q 36.61

$2.90 MX$53.8

65.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 Q 17.97

$1.38 MX$25.69

70.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.08 Q 38.78

$2.49 MX$46.26

104.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.64

$2.03 MX$37.70

-18.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Q 14.11

$2.02 MX$37.61

-8.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 Q 13.25

$1.90 MX$35.35

-8.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 Q 10.29

$1.14 MX$21.25

18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 Q 10.02

$1.24 MX$23.01

5.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 Q 30.40

$4.27 MX$79.3

-6.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 Q 61.3

$9.81 MX$182

-18.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 Q 21.90

$1.59 MX$29.45

80.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Q 27.98

$2.75 MX$51.0

33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 Q 34.51

$4.76 MX$88.4

-5.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 Q 9.70

$1.53 MX$28.38

-16.99%

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

$22.4K Q 171.5K

$21.2K MX$393.9K

5.79%

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

$21.6K Q 164.7K

$23.3K MX$432.0K

-7.34%

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

$56.5 Q 432

$83.5 MX$1,550

-32.34%

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

$37.78 Q 289

$23.19 MX$431

62.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.5 Q 470

$27.61 MX$513

122.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 Q 63.0

$5.00 MX$92.9

65.00%

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

$539 Q 4,118

$207 MX$3,846

160.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K Q 108.1K

$5,231 MX$97.1K

170.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.52 Q 333

$43.45 MX$807

0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 Q 412

$42.54 MX$790

26.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 Q 714

$72.8 MX$1,351

28.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 Q 602

$88.4 MX$1,641

-10.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

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 Nueva: 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 Nueva

–

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Groceries & Markets

Villa Nueva

–

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Eating Out

Villa Nueva

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Villa Nueva

–

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Villa Nueva

–

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Villa Nueva

–

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Getting Around

Villa Nueva

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Villa Nueva versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Villa Nueva

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

1 h ahead of Villa Nueva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,397

149,923

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Villa Nueva Playa del Carmen 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,142 per month in Villa Nueva and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $761 in Villa Nueva and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Villa Nueva about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $539 per month in Villa Nueva and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Villa Nueva, where all-in costs run around $761, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Villa Nueva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen 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 $761 in Villa Nueva to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.