Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budva and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,611 in Budva, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index
59

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

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Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,611

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,611 per month in Budva vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Budva $1,611
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,529 per month in Budva vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Budva $2,529
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,447 per month in Budva vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Budva $3,447
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Budva costs about 33% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budva sits 19% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.76 €13.13

$10.76 MX$199

37.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.1

$43.03 MX$795

54.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.80

$11.79 MX$218

12.55%

Cappuccino

$3.39 €3.02

$3.87 MX$71.4

-12.40%

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

$2.21 €1.96

$1.37 MX$25.29

61.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.84 MX$15.44

80.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 €4.17

$3.10 MX$57.3

51.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$5.07 MX$93.6

-15.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.44 MX$26.55

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 €0.95

$2.23 MX$41.23

-52.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.47 MX$27.17

50.34%

Eggs

$3.07 €2.73

$2.53 MX$46.71

21.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 €7.56

$7.30 MX$135

16.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.08

$7.86 MX$145

15.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.17 €10.83

$12.79 MX$236

-4.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.90 MX$53.6

-55.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.44 MX$26.53

21.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.55 MX$47.07

-40.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.06 MX$38.03

34.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 €0.76

$2.00 MX$36.97

-57.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.01 MX$37.07

-46.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.19 MX$22.02

40.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.26 MX$23.23

-25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.40 MX$81.4

0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 €6.82

$9.59 MX$177

-20.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.59 MX$29.41

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.81 MX$51.9

-38.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$0.57 MX$10.47

398.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.74 €35.34

$27.82 MX$514

42.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 €0.98

$4.98 MX$92.1

-77.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.50 MX$64.6

-68.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.85 €14.99

$5.40 MX$99.8

212.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.47 MX$27.08

15.65%

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

$28.5K €25.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

35.89%

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

$25.8K €22.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

7.84%

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

$158 €140

$84.2 MX$1,556

87.31%

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

$14.92 €13.27

$23.99 MX$443

-37.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.61 €29.90

$29.02 MX$536

15.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 €50.8

$63.0 MX$1,164

-9.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.24 €18.89

$29.14 MX$539

-27.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 €5.50

$4.94 MX$91.3

25.30%

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

$407 €362

$204 MX$3,763

99.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,855 €8,766

$3,941 MX$72.8K

150.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$43.60 MX$806

140.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.04 €39.17

$43.12 MX$797

2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 €86.1

$75.8 MX$1,400

27.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €159

$88.6 MX$1,637

101.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 €752

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-16.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 €539

$374 MX$6,911

62.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 €1,333

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-12.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,022

$1,106 MX$20.4K

3.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,046 €3,599

$3,944 MX$72.9K

2.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,920 €2,597

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-52.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,028 €915

$754 MX$13.9K

36.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

11.45

-48.03%

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

Last update for Budva: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budva

$606 37.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 38.3% $232

Eating Out

Budva

$246 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 17.6% $43

Groceries & Markets

Budva

$235 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 9.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budva

$206 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 33.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Budva

$191 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 40.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Budva

$69 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 4.9% $3.4

Getting Around

Budva

$58 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 8.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $846 in Budva versus $1,008 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 36% higher in Budva, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Budva versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Budva vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Budva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Budva

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

11:40 11:40 AM

7 h behind Budva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,338

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budva Playa del Carmen 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budva
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,611 in Budva, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,417 per month in Budva and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,611 in Budva and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 33%.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Budva at $1,611. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budva it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,611 in Budva. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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