Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Budapest costs about 36% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,493

$10.92 MX$205

26.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.0K

$43.37 MX$813

41.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,305

$11.78 MX$221

-13.75%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,048

$3.81 MX$71.4

-15.49%

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

$2.06 Ft 671

$1.28 MX$24.03

60.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 597

$0.78 MX$14.67

134.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,173

$3.17 MX$59.3

13.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,192

$4.93 MX$92.5

-25.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 387

$1.41 MX$26.35

-15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 609

$2.22 MX$41.54

-15.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 770

$1.42 MX$26.56

66.90%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,288

$2.52 MX$47.27

57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,632

$7.26 MX$136

53.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,199

$7.70 MX$144

-12.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,669

$12.69 MX$238

13.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 588

$2.78 MX$52.2

-34.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 686

$1.37 MX$25.64

54.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 759

$2.55 MX$47.80

-8.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,238

$2.12 MX$39.78

79.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 323

$1.94 MX$36.32

-48.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 320

$1.89 MX$35.34

-48.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 505

$1.15 MX$21.49

34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 227

$1.18 MX$22.09

-40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,536

$4.30 MX$80.5

81.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,969

$9.95 MX$186

-39.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 416

$1.58 MX$29.67

-18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 663

$2.67 MX$50.1

-23.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 504

$0.55 MX$10.37

181.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,878

$26.62 MX$499

2.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,073

$4.97 MX$93.1

-33.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 427

$3.33 MX$62.4

-60.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,591

$5.36 MX$100

277.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 592

$1.44 MX$27.06

26.39%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.3M

$20.7K MX$387.3K

38.99%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.8M

$23.5K MX$439.7K

40.97%

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

$172 Ft 56.0K

$84.8 MX$1,589

103.07%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,793

$23.41 MX$439

2.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,585

$28.66 MX$537

-18.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.3K

$57.1 MX$1,069

20.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,153

$28.91 MX$542

-34.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,312

$5.14 MX$96.3

98.05%

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

$600 Ft 195.4K

$207 MX$3,871

190.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$3,927 MX$73.6K

327.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.2K

$43.35 MX$812

128.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.1K

$41.44 MX$777

4.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$74.2 MX$1,390

52.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.1K

$89.3 MX$1,672

31.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 272.0K

$980 MX$18.4K

-14.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 208.2K

$381 MX$7,136

68.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 520.0K

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-6.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 392.1K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

12.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.8M

$3,943 MX$73.9K

42.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.2M

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-38.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 543.8K

$735 MX$13.8K

127.56%

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 Budapest: October 27, 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

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 40.5% $259

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.4% $3.6

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 8.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 37.6% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 33.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 24.3% $22

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 16.4% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest 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 in Budapest are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

10:57 10:57 AM

6 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Playa del Carmen 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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

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

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $836 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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