Short to Long Term Vacation Rentals in Playa Del Carmen

If you are coming to Playa Del Carmen and want to rent for a short time or even a long term (3-12 months), how is the rental market? What are condos like in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico? What type of amenities can you find in luxury rentals? In this article and video, we tour three vacation rental condos in Playa Del Carmen, we also talk to a rental agent and get a lot of details about the short and long-term rentals market.

What are the best areas of Playa Del Carmen to rent in?

if you are coming to Palya Del Carmen certainly you want to take advantage of the best things it has to offer. Playa Del Carmen has a vibrant downtown with the pedestrian street of 5th Avenue, access to the beaches, shopping and most services can be found there. Most people like renting in the downtown area because it is walkable to most places, and you do not need a car. This makes renting for a few months to a year easier and less costly.

Playacar and the downtown are considered the best areas to rent in Playa Del Carmen. In our map below we have highlighted areas. If you click on each on there is a description of the area. For more about these areas, you can see our general renting article where we talk more about locations.

Our video tour of some condos for rent in Playa Del Carmen

We made this video for you to provide more details about renting in Playa Del Carmen and to show you some beautiful condos you can rent for a stay in the area. We also introduce you to Laura, who is a recommended rental agent in Playa that is an excellent resource for finding that perfect short- or long-term rental for you.

What is the average price of vacation rentals?

The average cost of vacation rentals in Playa Del Carmen can vary significantly depending on the time of year, location, and amenities. Here are some general prices for vacation rentals for 3 months to 1-year rentals. these are mainly in the downtown and Playacar sections of Playa Del Carmen.

Standard Rentals: You can find one-bedroom vacation rentals for $700-$1000 USD a month. Rentals of two bedrooms usually starts at $1,200 USD a month. These are typically apartments or small condos located in the downtown area. These tend to be in older buildings and have been rented out for a few years.
Luxury Rentals: High-end properties with ocean views, private pools, or resort-like amenities can range from $1000-$6000 USD a month. This can include studios, lofts, and 1-to-3-bedroom properties. Most of these properties will be in newer buildings and in prime locations in the downtown area or Playacar. Most of the furnishings will be from designer stores or upmarket design.

It should be noted that compared to a hotel with similar features, both standard and luxury rentals offer about 15-35% off the price you would pay for a hotel, just to put it in perspective.

Luxury rental in Playa Del Carmen — Luxury rentals can give you this view to wake up to each day of your stay in Playa Del Carmen.

What are some of the reasons for the rental prices?

The top reasons for vacation rental prices are:

Location. Where is it in Playa Del Carmen and what kind of view does it have? Being close to things and walkable is what more people look for. Being beachfront or having a view is a big perk.
The quality of the amenities. Some buildings offer full gyms, pools, saunas, workspace, game rooms, concierges, among other services. Even amongst these amenities, there is a difference between stunning rooftop pool or courtyard pool for example. These things factor into the price of the rental. You cannot compare apples to apples when it is more what quality of apple you get. When looking at rentals the details are important. For example, some offer a “gym”, but it is just a treadmill and yoga ball, while other vacation rentals offer full gyms alleviating the need to pay for an external gym.
Length of the rental. Of course, the shorter the rental usually the more it is per night. Yearly rentals are most discounted rents.

Rooftop in Playa Del Carmen with pool — Having nice amenities makes your stay more rewarding.

Two options for searching for the perfect short to long-term rental

In Playa Del Carmen you have two main ways of looking for a vacation rental. One is going online and looking through websites and Facebook. Most of these rentals are standard rentals and you often will not find as many higher end rentals this way. You will have to sift through many people’s ads and read between the lines to make sure what you are getting is what is offered.

It is best that you know something about Playa Del Carmen and the areas before you book a short or long-term vacation rental. If you have never been to Playa Del Carmen before, you might want to book a week at an Airbnb or hotel to get to know areas before committing to one rental. If you are also renting directly from an owner, it is advisable to meet in person and see the rental in person before committing to a month’s long contract.

Renting through an agency

The second option is to go through a vacation rental agency. A good agency will prescreen condos making sure they have everything in working order, provide a good contract that protects both parties, and provide you with options that fit what you are looking for. In Playa Del Carmen there are different agencies that specialize in different type of rentals. There are agencies that mainly provide rentals for several weeks to a month or two, then there are agencies that mainly work for short to long-erm rentals (3 months to 1 year).

If you are looking for a rental that is 6 months to a year or perhaps a little less, Laura, who is in the video above, is a good option to work with. She and her business partner have been working for years in the area offering good customer service and satisfied customers. We list her here because this is one of the good agencies that already many of our readers like using. If you would like to contact Laura about a condo rental, here is her email. If you are also an owner of a condo and want a listing agent, Laura and her business partner also take on qualified new listings.

Some things to keep in mind to include in an email are: When are you looking for, how long, how many people, and what things you are looking for in a vacation rental. these details will help Laura look for the perfect rental for you.

Note: If the link above does not work, try this email link for Laura.

Why work with a rental agent?

Here are some reasons:

They can speed up the process and narrow the search for qualified apartments.
One stop shopping. Not only do you have a local person finding you an apartment, but they can also answer questions about the local area.
You will know who you are working with, and you don’t have to worry about scammers.
They can make the process much smoother. No hidden fees, you know what you pay for because they offer a complete contract.
The rental agent can act as an intermediary between owners and renters.

What benefits do you have as an owner working with a rental agent?

Prescreening to weed out problem clients.
The meeting of the renters and walkthroughs are done by the rental agent.
Thy come and take inventory of the apartments and do a walkthrough when the renter leaves.
The rental agents can be helpful with local information and make recommendations.
They make sure the bills are all paid so there is no impact on the owners.