Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bugibba and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,739 in Bugibba, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Bugibba
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Bugibba Living Index
58

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

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Bugibba

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,739

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,739 per month in Bugibba vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bugibba $1,739
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,712 per month in Bugibba vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bugibba $2,712
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,686 per month in Bugibba vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bugibba $3,686
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Bugibba costs about 44% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Bugibba sits 28% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.27

$10.92 MX$205

56.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.9

$43.37 MX$815

82.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.08

$11.78 MX$221

-4.50%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$3.81 MX$71.6

-20.21%

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

$2.32 €2.08

$1.28 MX$24.10

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.78

$0.78 MX$14.71

153.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.12

$3.17 MX$59.5

45.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.92

$4.93 MX$92.7

-33.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.41 MX$26.43

-4.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.22 MX$41.66

-36.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.42 MX$26.64

59.86%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.92

$2.52 MX$47.41

29.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 €9.11

$7.26 MX$137

40.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.61

$7.70 MX$145

24.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.89 €10.66

$12.69 MX$239

-6.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.78 MX$52.3

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.37 MX$25.71

52.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.55 MX$47.94

-3.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$2.12 MX$39.90

-13.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.94 MX$36.43

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.89 MX$35.44

-28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.15 MX$21.55

46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.55

$1.18 MX$22.16

-47.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.48

$4.30 MX$80.7

42.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.66 €5.07

$9.95 MX$187

-43.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.58 MX$29.76

4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.67 MX$50.2

-44.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.23

$0.55 MX$10.40

350.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 €3.09

$4.97 MX$93.4

-30.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.33 MX$62.6

-45.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.57 €29.19

$5.36 MX$101

507.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.44 MX$27.14

5.56%

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

$24.4K €21.9K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

18.23%

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

$30.2K €27.1K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

28.73%

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

$75.6 €67.7

$84.8 MX$1,594

-10.90%

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

$17.46 €15.65

$23.41 MX$440

-25.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.90 €25.89

$28.66 MX$539

0.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.7 €64.2

$57.1 MX$1,072

25.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.96 €29.53

$28.91 MX$543

14.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.14

$5.14 MX$96.6

120.23%

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

$273 €245

$207 MX$3,882

32.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.2K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

217.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 €51.7

$43.35 MX$815

33.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.9 €61.8

$41.44 MX$779

66.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$74.2 MX$1,394

52.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$89.3 MX$1,677

48.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €975

$980 MX$18.4K

11.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 €741

$381 MX$7,157

117.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 €1,472

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 €1,258

$1,075 MX$20.2K

30.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,100 €1,882

$735 MX$13.8K

185.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

11.45

-64.63%

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

Last update for Bugibba: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Bugibba

$827 47.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 54% $447

Eating Out

Bugibba

$253 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 20.1% $51

Groceries & Markets

Bugibba

$252 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Bugibba

$167 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 33.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bugibba

$122 7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 12.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bugibba

$94 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 28.6% $27

Getting Around

Bugibba

$22 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 124% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,089 in Bugibba 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 Bugibba are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Bugibba versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $252 in Bugibba vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Bugibba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Bugibba

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

23:40 11:40 PM

6 h behind Bugibba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,042

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Bugibba
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,739 in Bugibba, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,608 per month in Bugibba 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,089 in Bugibba.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Bugibba and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,739 in Bugibba and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 31% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Bugibba at $1,739. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bugibba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,739 in Bugibba. 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, Bugibba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.