Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cavtat and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,533 in Cavtat, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cavtat
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Cavtat Living Index
58

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

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Cavtat

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,533

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,533 in Cavtat versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cavtat $1,533
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,319 in Cavtat versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cavtat $2,319
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,106 in Cavtat versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cavtat $3,106
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cavtat is roughly 27% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cavtat is 13% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.28 €11.86

$10.92 MX$203

21.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 €63.4

$43.37 MX$805

63.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 €8.07

$11.78 MX$219

-23.26%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.24

$3.81 MX$70.7

-34.12%

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

$3.27 €2.92

$1.28 MX$23.81

155.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.78 MX$14.54

192.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 €3.28

$3.17 MX$58.8

15.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 €3.71

$4.93 MX$91.7

-15.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.41 MX$26.12

-16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.22 MX$41.17

-31.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 €2.81

$1.42 MX$26.32

121.83%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.34

$2.52 MX$46.85

48.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 €9.44

$7.26 MX$135

45.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 €8.63

$7.70 MX$143

25.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 €10.68

$12.69 MX$236

-5.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.78 MX$51.7

-37.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.37 MX$25.41

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.55 MX$47.37

-21.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.12 MX$39.43

16.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.94 MX$36.00

-31.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.89 MX$35.02

-30.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.15 MX$21.29

6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.18 MX$21.89

2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.72 €5.10

$4.30 MX$79.8

33.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.96 €6.21

$9.95 MX$185

-30.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.58 MX$29.41

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.67 MX$49.60

-25.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.55 MX$10.28

221.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.47 €37.93

$26.62 MX$494

59.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 €2.81

$4.97 MX$92.3

-36.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €0.99

$3.33 MX$61.9

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 €8.11

$5.36 MX$99.5

69.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.44 MX$26.82

22.22%

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

$38.4K €34.3K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

85.79%

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

$25.9K €23.1K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

10.23%

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

$188 €168

$84.8 MX$1,575

121.56%

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

$23.14 €20.67

$23.41 MX$435

-1.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.87 €28.47

$28.66 MX$532

11.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 €45.32

$57.1 MX$1,059

-11.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.57 €13.02

$28.91 MX$537

-49.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 €7.94

$5.14 MX$95.4

72.96%

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

$242 €216

$207 MX$3,836

17.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,108 €7,242

$3,927 MX$72.9K

106.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.9

$43.35 MX$805

116.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.80 €34.66

$41.44 MX$770

-6.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.7

$74.2 MX$1,378

42.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.2

$89.3 MX$1,657

18.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 €619

$980 MX$18.2K

-29.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 €477

$381 MX$7,072

40.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €993

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-34.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 €749

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-22.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 €3,593

$3,943 MX$73.2K

2.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,291 €2,940

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-46.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

11.45

-62.01%

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

Last update for Cavtat: 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

Cavtat

$535 34.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 28.8% $154

Groceries & Markets

Cavtat

$261 17%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 2.5% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cavtat

$243 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 43.7% $106

Eating Out

Cavtat

$212 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 4.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Cavtat

$155 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Cavtat

$69 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 1.8% $1.2

Getting Around

Cavtat

$58 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 13.4% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $694 in Cavtat and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71 in Cavtat vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Cavtat

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

6 h behind Cavtat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,153

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Cavtat
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Cavtat. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,299 in Cavtat 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: $694 in Cavtat versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 37% less than in Cavtat. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,533 per month in Cavtat versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,533 in Cavtat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cavtat. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.