Which place is cheaper, Mendoza or Playa del Carmen?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Playa del Carmen or Mendoza?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Playa del Carmen or Mendoza? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Playa del Carmen or Mendoza?
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is in Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula. It's a popular resort town and is about seventy kilometers south of Cancun. It has a European atmosphere with many small hotels and a nice relaxed feel. It was originally a small fishing town but tourism began with the introduction of a passenger ferry to Cozumel. The area developed rapidly and there are many luxury hotels, condos, and resorts. There are also American chains and a variety of shopping opportunities nearby.
Mendoza
Mendoza is a city in western Argentina and more precisely in the desertic Cuyo region. Mendoza is the center of the Argentinian wine industry and is famed around the world for its vineyards and wine production. Spread across the valley of the Rio Mendoza and in the foothills of the Andean mountain range, Mendoza is also near the Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas. The bustling and scenic city of wide, leafy avenues, atmospheric plazas and cosmopolitan cafes spoils visitors with unique natural attractions and historical landmarks. If you can, visit Mendoza during the harvest festival at the end of February. There are many events and festivals in Mendoza and they are usually free. Each has a different theme, and they usually have a stage with singing and dancing and booths that sell food around a plaza. Seventy percent of Argentina's wines are produced here, and Mendoza is especially known for its world-famous malbecs.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico, The Best Photography Tours in Argentina, and The Best Luxury Tours to Argentina.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayPlaya del Carmen $81Mendoza $7.36
The average daily cost (per person) in Playa del Carmen is $81, while the average daily cost in Mendoza is $7.36. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Playa del Carmen and Mendoza in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personPlaya del Carmen $40Mendoza $2.79
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomPlaya del Carmen $80Mendoza $5.58
Compare Hotels in Playa del Carmen and Mendoza
Looking for a hotel in Playa del Carmen or Mendoza? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Playa del Carmen Hotel Prices and Mendoza Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Playa del Carmen $24Mendoza $1.46
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Playa del Carmen
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Playa del Carmen:
- Wedding Transfers Services in Round Trip Playa del Carmen: $180
- Transfers in Lincoln StretchLimo from Puerto Aventuras-Cun Airport.: $194
- Transfer in Private vehicle from Akumal City - Cancun Airport (CUN) : $74
- Tour Bacalar Ponton with Transfer from Cancun & Playa del Carmen : $147
- Shared transfer from Playa del Carmen tu Cancun airport: $25
- Shared roundtrip transfer from Cancun airport to Playa del Carmen: $71
- Shared Transfer Cancun Airport - Puerto Aventuras: $48
- Shared Transfer Cancun Airport - Playa del Carmen: $31
- Roundtrip Private Transfer Playa del Carmen from CUN: $173
- Private Transfer: Akumal to Cancun Airport CUN in SUV: $109
- Private Transfer to Xplor / Xenses / Xplor Fire from Playa del Carmen: $25
- Private Transfer to Xel-Há Park from Playa del Carmen: $53
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mendoza
Also for Mendoza, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- 3 Wineries+Lunch with Unlimited Wine+Transfer included: $180
- Arrival Private Transfer from Mendoza Airport MDZ to Valle de Uco: $80
- Chandon Winery + Enemigo Lunch (Michelin Guide). Transfer included: $250
- Departure Private Transfer Valle de Uco to Mendoza Airport MDZ : $80
- Desgustación Pulenta Estate + Almuerzo en Ruda. Transfer privado: $220
- Las Leñas to Mendoza Int Airport (MDZ)-Departure Private Transfer: $44
- Mendoza Bodega Tempus Alba + Trapiche + Transfer incluido: $550
- Mendoza Private Airport Transfers: $35
- Mendoza to Mendoza Intl Airport (MDZ)- Departure Private Transfer: $27
- Private 1-Way or Round-Trip MDZ Airport Transfer: $20
- Round Trip Private Transfer to the Uco Valley: $148
- Shared 1-Way or Round Trip MDZ Airport Transfer: $9.00
Is it cheaper to fly into Playa del Carmen or Mendoza?
Prices for flights to both Mendoza and Playa del Carmen change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayPlaya del Carmen $24Mendoza $3.29
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Playa del Carmen
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Playa del Carmen.
- Cenotes by Bike and Mayan Cooking Class Half-Day Guided Tour: $60
- Walking Food Tour: $65
- Playa Del Carmen Authentic Downtown Food Tour: Tacos and Local Flavors: $75
- Playa del Carmen Walking Food Tour: $77
- Mexican Cooking Class: $100
- Seafood Tour in Playa del Carmen: $101
- PDC Traditional Mexican Cooking Experience: $104
- Authentic Mexican Cooking Class in Playa del Carmen: $120
- Isa’s Authentic Mexican Cooking Class: $120
- Cultural Coba Sunset Adventure with Dinner and show from Cancun: $130
- Sunset Adventure in Coba and Dinner with Show from Riviera Maya: $155
- Riviera Maya: Sunset Cruise with Beach Dinner and Open Bar: $157
Typical Food Prices in Mendoza
For Mendoza, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Empanadas$0.01
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Mendoza
For Mendoza, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Bar Safari: 4 Best Mendoza’s Bars in 1 night. + Full Dinner: $137
- Cooking class - Gastronomic Experience - 12 classes per year: $150
- Full-Day Small-Group Mendoza Wine Tasting Tour with Lunch or Dinner: $181
- Visit Los Toneles + Saffron Dinner (Michelin Star). With Transfer: $240
- Night Visit to Bodega Toneles + Dinner at El Enemigo. Transport: $270
- Cooking class at Bodega Lamadrid Winery in Luján de Cuyo: $270
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Playa del Carmen $17Mendoza $2.08
Tours and Activities in Playa del Carmen
Here are a few actual costs in Playa del Carmen for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Romantic tour in Akumal: $115
- Tulum Ruins, Turtle Sightseeing & Underground Cenote from Tulum: $140
- VIP Cenote Scuba Tour, Certified Divers Only: $230
- 3 in 1 Private Tour Tulum Cenote and Snorkeling in the reef: $210
- 3D Museum of Wonders Admission Ticket: $42
- 5X1: Tulum and Coba Ruins, Cenote & Mayan Village Full Day Tour : $114
- ATV Adventure with Ziplines Cenote from Playa del Carmen: $75
- ATV Extreme and Snorkel Adventure from the Riviera Maya: $139
- ATV Ride and Secret Caves Tour from Playa del Carmen: $80
- ATV Shared & Ziplines Adventure in Tulum Jungle from Riviera Maya: $133
- ATV Shared, Cavern & Ziplines -Jungle Adventure from Riviera Maya: $158
- ATV Xtreme & Snorkel Experience: $138
Tours and Activities in Mendoza
For Mendoza, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Mendoza Walking Tour: The history of the City and main Park!: $11
- Tour autoguiado en bicicleta por Luján de Cuyo (Mendoza): $19
- Malbec Experience in Bodega Tierras Altas: $20
- Half-Day Sightseeing City Tour: $21
- Renacer Winery Experience: $25
- City tour with visit to General San Martin Park: $27
- Mendoza City Tour: $31
- Half-Day Sightseeing Tour: $33
- 12-KM River Rafting Tour in the Andes: $39
- Half Day Winery Tour: $45
- From High Andes Aconcagua Mountain Tour: $46
- Discover Villavicencio Natural Reserve: Half-Day Adventure: $51
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayPlaya del Carmen $21Mendoza $1.25
Typical Alcohol Prices in Mendoza
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Mendoza:
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Beer$0.01
Sample the Local Flavors in Mendoza
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mendoza:
- Classic Wine Tasting: $22
- Half-Day Wine Tour with Tastings: $28
- Premium Wine Tasting: $45
- Vineyards with Wine Tasting in Mendoza: $49
- Argentinean Asado with Local Host and Wine Tasting: $99
- Full-Day Private Luján De Cuyo Wine Tour from Mendoza: $143
- Private Wine Tour, Tastings and Lunch with Pairings: $150
- Wine Tour with Lunch from Mendoza: $164
- Wine Tour with Lunch and Transport in Mendoza: $170
- All Day, Small Group, Luxury Wine Tour with Gourmet Lunch: $180
- Intimate Wine Tour with Wine Pairing Lunch: $215
- Luján Wine Tasting Guided Experience with Lunch: $230
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Playa del Carmen and Mendoza, we can see that Playa del Carmen is more expensive. And not only is Mendoza much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Playa del Carmen is in North America and Mendoza is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Mendoza would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Mendoza and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Playa del Carmen would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Playa del Carmen than you might in Mendoza.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Playa del Carmen Expensive? and Is Mendoza Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Playa del Carmen or Mendoza?
Mendoza has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of Playa del Carmen. When comparing the sizes of Playa del Carmen and Mendoza, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.