Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Békéscsaba and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Békéscsaba: $1,125 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

55

Cost of Living Index in Békéscsaba
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Békéscsaba Living Index
59

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

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Békéscsaba

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,125

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,125 per month in Békéscsaba vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Békéscsaba $1,125
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,647 per month in Békéscsaba vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Békéscsaba $1,647
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,169 per month in Békéscsaba vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Békéscsaba $2,169
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Békéscsaba is about 7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Békéscsaba and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Békéscsaba 17% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.00 Ft 2,906

$10.86 MX$201

-17.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.36 Ft 14.7K

$44.21 MX$817

2.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 Ft 1,779

$11.76 MX$217

-53.15%

Cappuccino

$2.22 Ft 718

$3.68 MX$68.0

-39.67%

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

$1.38 Ft 446

$1.34 MX$24.79

2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 Ft 286

$0.82 MX$15.24

7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 Ft 354

$3.06 MX$56.6

-64.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 Ft 395

$4.94 MX$91.2

-75.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 Ft 387

$1.47 MX$27.17

-18.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 Ft 475

$2.22 MX$40.95

-33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 Ft 706

$1.48 MX$27.32

47.97%

Eggs

$3.23 Ft 1,044

$2.49 MX$45.99

29.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.88 Ft 3,193

$7.52 MX$139

31.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 Ft 2,182

$7.96 MX$147

-15.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 Ft 4,692

$12.57 MX$232

15.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 Ft 628

$2.78 MX$51.3

-30.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 659

$1.43 MX$26.37

42.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 Ft 509

$2.62 MX$48.37

-39.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 Ft 924

$2.14 MX$39.49

33.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$2.02 MX$37.38

-50.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 Ft 326

$1.99 MX$36.74

-49.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 Ft 344

$1.14 MX$21.01

-7.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Ft 155

$1.20 MX$22.18

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.97 Ft 2,575

$4.26 MX$78.7

87.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.08 Ft 995

$10.02 MX$185

-69.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 Ft 338

$1.54 MX$28.41

-31.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 Ft 690

$2.66 MX$49.17

-19.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 Ft 410

$0.53 MX$9.73

139.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 Ft 883

$4.90 MX$90.6

-44.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$3.43 MX$63.5

-61.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 Ft 2,028

$5.38 MX$99.4

16.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 Ft 599

$1.45 MX$26.76

27.59%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.3M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

35.53%

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

$34.6K Ft 11.2M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

50.30%

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

$174 Ft 56.1K

$85.4 MX$1,577

103.35%

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

$23.76 Ft 7,675

$23.46 MX$434

1.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.51 Ft 6,949

$28.43 MX$525

-24.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.92 Ft 11.0K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-45.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 Ft 3,058

$5.10 MX$94.3

85.69%

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

$548 Ft 176.9K

$201 MX$3,715

172.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K Ft 5.5M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

332.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.1 Ft 32.0K

$44.39 MX$820

123.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.41 Ft 10.1K

$41.35 MX$764

-24.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 Ft 19.9K

$72.7 MX$1,344

-15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 Ft 38.2K

$89.6 MX$1,656

31.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 Ft 137.5K

$979 MX$18.1K

-56.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 Ft 109.3K

$373 MX$6,887

-9.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 Ft 179.9K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-66.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 Ft 140.6K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-60.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,526 Ft 493.1K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-61.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 Ft 386.7K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-80.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,398 Ft 451.8K

$738 MX$13.6K

89.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.45

-43.67%

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

Last update for Békéscsaba: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Békéscsaba

$338 30.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 10.1% $34

Groceries & Markets

Békéscsaba

$229 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 13% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Békéscsaba

$219 19.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 37.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Békéscsaba

$140 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 20% $28

Eating Out

Békéscsaba

$132 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 51.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Békéscsaba

$53 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 37% $20

Getting Around

Békéscsaba

$14 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 257% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $425 in Békéscsaba versus $979 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 90% higher in Békéscsaba, 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 $45.00 in Békéscsaba versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $229 in Békéscsaba vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Békéscsaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Békéscsaba

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

08:57 8:57 AM

7 h behind Békéscsaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,460

149,923

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Békéscsaba Playa del Carmen 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Békéscsaba
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 7% more than Békéscsaba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,687 per month in Békéscsaba 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 Békéscsaba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Békéscsaba and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Békéscsaba, where all-in costs run around $1,125, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Békéscsaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Békéscsaba costs $1,125 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Békéscsaba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.