Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birgunj and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgunj: $354 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Birgunj
Learn more

Birgunj Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Birgunj

🇳🇵 Nepal

$354

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $354 in Birgunj versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Birgunj $354
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $576 in Birgunj versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Birgunj $576
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $797 in Birgunj versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Birgunj $797
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Birgunj costs roughly 71% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Birgunj 74% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.29 NPR 197

$10.92 MX$203

-88.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.97 NPR 3,031

$43.37 MX$805

-53.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 NPR 1,088

$11.78 MX$219

-39.13%

Cappuccino

$1.53 NPR 232

$3.81 MX$70.7

-59.84%

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

$0.56 NPR 84.4

$1.28 MX$23.81

-56.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 NPR 22.24

$0.78 MX$14.54

-80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 NPR 341

$3.17 MX$58.8

-29.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 NPR 512

$4.93 MX$91.7

-31.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 NPR 95.9

$1.41 MX$26.12

-55.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.24 NPR 36.13

$2.22 MX$41.17

-89.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 NPR 91.7

$1.42 MX$26.32

-57.75%

Eggs

$1.58 NPR 240

$2.52 MX$46.85

-37.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 NPR 1,105

$7.26 MX$135

0.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 NPR 350

$7.70 MX$143

-70.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.15 NPR 934

$12.69 MX$236

-51.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 NPR 304

$2.78 MX$51.7

-28.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 NPR 144

$1.37 MX$25.41

-30.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 NPR 206

$2.55 MX$47.37

-46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 NPR 84.3

$2.12 MX$39.43

-73.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 NPR 62.6

$1.94 MX$36.00

-78.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 NPR 77.4

$1.89 MX$35.02

-73.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.12 NPR 17.64

$1.15 MX$21.29

-89.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.92

$1.18 MX$21.89

-81.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.62 NPR 246

$4.30 MX$79.8

-62.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 NPR 1,223

$9.95 MX$185

-18.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 NPR 337

$1.58 MX$29.41

40.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 NPR 466

$2.67 MX$49.60

14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 NPR 19.79

$0.55 MX$10.28

-76.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 NPR 280

$4.97 MX$92.3

-62.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 NPR 183

$3.33 MX$61.9

-63.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 NPR 483

$5.36 MX$99.5

-40.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 NPR 166

$1.44 MX$26.82

-24.31%

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

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

$20.7K MX$383.8K

75.91%

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

$36.2K NPR 5.5M

$23.5K MX$435.8K

54.27%

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

$31.67 NPR 4,808

$84.8 MX$1,575

-62.65%

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

$3.32 NPR 504

$23.41 MX$435

-85.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.24 NPR 1,403

$28.66 MX$532

-67.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.32 NPR 2,022

$57.1 MX$1,059

-76.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$1.93 NPR 293

$5.14 MX$95.4

-62.45%

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

$67.5 NPR 10.3K

$207 MX$3,836

-67.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,584 NPR 847.7K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

42.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.27 NPR 3,684

$43.35 MX$805

-44.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.21 NPR 4,130

$41.44 MX$770

-34.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$26.11 NPR 3,964

$74.2 MX$1,378

-64.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$16.21 NPR 2,460

$89.3 MX$1,657

-81.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$33.93 NPR 5,150

$980 MX$18.2K

-96.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$39.29 NPR 5,965

$381 MX$7,072

-89.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 NPR 18.7K

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-92.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.4 NPR 11.8K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-92.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$654 NPR 99.3K

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-83.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$495 NPR 75.2K

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-91.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.98

11.45

-12.84%

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

Last update for Birgunj: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Birgunj

$132 37.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 93.1% $123

Eating Out

Birgunj

$71 20%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 185% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birgunj

$44 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 209% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Birgunj

$42 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 165% $70

Accommodation & Living

Birgunj

$39 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 869% $342

Sport & Entertainment

Birgunj

$17 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 292% $50

Getting Around

Birgunj

$8.4 * 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 501% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $34 in Birgunj and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Birgunj vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $132 vs $255 per month, with Birgunj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Birgunj

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

19:58 7:58 PM

10 h 45 min behind Birgunj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,904

149,923

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Birgunj Playa del Carmen 14,650 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Birgunj
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

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

Birgunj wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Birgunj the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $531 in Birgunj and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $34 in Birgunj versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $68 in Birgunj versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Birgunj – a meal for two runs $20 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $354 in Birgunj versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Birgunj but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Birgunj the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.