What does Puerto Vallarta cost?
The sourced Numbeo primitives, line by line — and an honest note on the two sub-categories the public data could not cite.
On the documented formula Puerto Vallarta lands at 51% of a comparable US city → B- — the most expensive of the four cities. Housing is the highest of the four ($1,446/mo) and coastal A/C drives utilities up; Food ($554/mo) is the PV Numbeo Groceries Index (56.1) at the disclosed site-wide anchor; Healthcare is the Mexico national WHO out-of-pocket figure ($26/mo per person), a disclosed national proxy. Thin Numbeo city sample (17 contributors) — read with the low-confidence caveat.
Numbeo (Puerto Vallarta page) "Apartment 1BR City Centre" Mex$25,057.14 → $1,446/mo.
The cross-market Food instrument is the Puerto Vallarta Numbeo Groceries Index 56.1 (New York = 100), converted to a monthly USD figure by the single disclosed anchor described on the methodology page → $554/mo.
Average out-of-pocket health spending per person — Mexico national WHO GHED out-of-pocket expenditure per capita (current US$), indicator SH.XPD.OOPC.PC.CD: $313.80/yr (2023) ÷ 12 = $26.15/mo.
Numbeo: basic utilities 85m² Mex$2,325.00 → $134 + monthly transit pass Mex$300.00 → $17 = $151/mo.
Monthly cost, line by line
Per-category numbers behind the composite. Each row cites its source. Modest = single, minimum-comfortable. Comfortable = the central-neighbourhood baseline. Couple = a larger 1BR plus two healthcare plates.
| Category | Comfortable | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rent · 1BR city centre (unfurnished baseline) | $1,446 | Numbeo Mex$25,057.14 ÷ 17.325572 |
| Food · Numbeo Groceries Index 56.1 × anchor | $554 | Puerto Vallarta Numbeo Groceries Index 56.1 via methodology anchor |
| Utilities (85m²) | $134 | Numbeo Mex$2,325.00 ÷ 17.325572 |
| Transit · monthly pass | $17 | Numbeo Mex$300.00 ÷ 17.325572 |
| Health · out-of-pocket per person (national proxy) | $26 | WHO GHED Mexico $313.80/yr ÷ 12 |
| Total · per month | $2,177 |
Cities at similar cost profiles, plus a US comparable for the dollar-arbitrage frame.
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