Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacau and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
Learn more

Bacau Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Bacau vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bacau $916
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,552 per month in Bacau vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bacau $1,552
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Bacau vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bacau $2,189
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Bacau is about 24% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bacau and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Bacau 33% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 RON 67.9

$10.92 MX$205

29.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 RON 405

$43.37 MX$815

95.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.64

$11.78 MX$221

-38.54%

Cappuccino

$2.04 RON 9.77

$3.81 MX$71.6

-46.46%

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

$2.01 RON 9.60

$1.28 MX$24.10

57.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.94

$0.78 MX$14.71

139.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 RON 11.82

$3.17 MX$59.5

-22.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 RON 15.96

$4.93 MX$92.7

-32.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 RON 5.66

$1.41 MX$26.43

-16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.34

$2.22 MX$41.66

-68.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.08

$1.42 MX$26.64

19.01%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.59

$2.52 MX$47.41

37.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 RON 36.75

$7.26 MX$137

5.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 RON 25.50

$7.70 MX$145

-30.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 RON 39.70

$12.69 MX$239

-34.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.24

$2.78 MX$52.3

-60.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.08

$1.37 MX$25.71

8.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.11

$2.55 MX$47.94

-41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.76

$2.12 MX$39.90

-13.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.47

$1.94 MX$36.43

-62.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RON 3.27

$1.89 MX$35.44

-64.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$1.15 MX$21.55

-34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.44

$1.18 MX$22.16

-38.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 RON 25.59

$4.30 MX$80.7

24.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 RON 25.13

$9.95 MX$187

-47.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.88

$1.58 MX$29.76

-35.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 RON 5.62

$2.67 MX$50.2

-56.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.34

$0.55 MX$10.40

27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.15 RON 139

$26.62 MX$500

9.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$4.97 MX$93.4

-87.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.10

$3.33 MX$62.6

-80.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 RON 32.17

$5.36 MX$101

25.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.51

$1.44 MX$27.14

23.61%

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

$28.9K RON 138.2K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

39.83%

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

$24.8K RON 118.9K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

5.86%

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

$106 RON 507

$84.8 MX$1,594

24.97%

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

$7.47 RON 35.74

$23.41 MX$440

-68.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.63 RON 22.15

$28.66 MX$539

-83.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.29 RON 121

$57.1 MX$1,072

-55.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.98 RON 76.5

$28.91 MX$543

-44.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 RON 29.12

$5.14 MX$96.6

18.48%

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

$589 RON 2,817

$207 MX$3,882

185.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 RON 23.9K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

26.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 RON 407

$43.35 MX$815

96.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 RON 153

$41.44 MX$779

-22.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 RON 288

$74.2 MX$1,394

-18.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 RON 398

$89.3 MX$1,677

-6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 RON 1,991

$980 MX$18.4K

-57.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 RON 1,130

$381 MX$7,157

-37.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 RON 2,624

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-67.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RON 1,937

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-62.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 RON 8,634

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-54.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 RON 5,879

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-80.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 RON 4,480

$735 MX$13.8K

27.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

11.45

-39.13%

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

Last update for Bacau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bacau

$236 25.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 61.2% $145

Eating Out

Bacau

$194 21.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 4.2% $8.1

Groceries & Markets

Bacau

$177 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 44.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacau

$118 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 15.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Bacau

$117 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4.7% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bacau

$37 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 79.7% $30

Getting Around

Bacau

$36 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 41% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Bacau versus $980 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.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Bacau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bacau vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bacau

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

22:59 10:59 PM

7 h behind Bacau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,307

149,923

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bacau Playa del Carmen 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bacau
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Bacau and $1,806 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 Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $916 in Bacau and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Bacau about 24% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $916 in Bacau to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.