Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durres and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Durres: $1,128 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durres
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Durres Living Index
58

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

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Durres

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,128

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,128 in Durres versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Durres $1,128
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,732 in Durres versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Durres $1,732
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,336 in Durres versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Durres $2,336
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Durres costs roughly 6% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Durres 17% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.48 ALL 849

$10.92 MX$203

-4.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.19 ALL 3,013

$43.37 MX$805

-14.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 ALL 840

$11.78 MX$219

-11.97%

Cappuccino

$2.07 ALL 168

$3.81 MX$70.7

-45.67%

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

$2.12 ALL 172

$1.28 MX$23.81

65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 ALL 86.9

$0.78 MX$14.54

37.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 ALL 248

$3.17 MX$58.8

-3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 ALL 359

$4.93 MX$91.7

-9.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ALL 168

$1.41 MX$26.12

47.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 ALL 83.4

$2.22 MX$41.17

-53.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 ALL 185

$1.42 MX$26.32

61.27%

Eggs

$3.86 ALL 312

$2.52 MX$46.85

53.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.69 ALL 1,028

$7.26 MX$135

74.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.78 ALL 631

$7.70 MX$143

1.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 ALL 1,217

$12.69 MX$236

18.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 ALL 97.4

$2.78 MX$51.7

-56.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ALL 197

$1.37 MX$25.41

77.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ALL 126

$2.55 MX$47.37

-38.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ALL 107

$2.12 MX$39.43

-37.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ALL 73.1

$1.94 MX$36.00

-53.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ALL 77.2

$1.89 MX$35.02

-49.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ALL 99.1

$1.15 MX$21.29

6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ALL 57.4

$1.18 MX$21.89

-39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ALL 359

$4.30 MX$79.8

3.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 ALL 890

$9.95 MX$185

10.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 ALL 121

$1.58 MX$29.41

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ALL 169

$2.67 MX$49.60

-22.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ALL 38.50

$0.55 MX$10.28

-12.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.58 ALL 1,586

$26.62 MX$494

-26.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ALL 296

$4.97 MX$92.3

-26.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 ALL 202

$3.33 MX$61.9

-24.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 ALL 178

$1.44 MX$26.82

52.78%

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

$16.0K ALL 1.3M

$20.7K MX$383.8K

-22.38%

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

$25.6K ALL 2.1M

$23.5K MX$435.8K

9.06%

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

$90.2 ALL 7,310

$84.8 MX$1,575

6.43%

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

$18.02 ALL 1,460

$23.41 MX$435

-23.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.33 ALL 1,323

$28.66 MX$532

-43.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.02 ALL 3,323

$57.1 MX$1,059

-28.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.3 ALL 4,963

$28.91 MX$537

111.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 ALL 610

$5.14 MX$95.4

46.30%

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

$189 ALL 15.3K

$207 MX$3,836

-8.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,673 ALL 378.6K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

18.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.78 ALL 3,142

$43.35 MX$805

-10.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.46 ALL 3,358

$41.44 MX$770

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 ALL 7,216

$74.2 MX$1,378

20.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 ALL 13.1K

$89.3 MX$1,657

81.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 ALL 36.5K

$980 MX$18.2K

-54.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ALL 26.0K

$381 MX$7,072

-15.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 ALL 57.0K

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-58.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ALL 37.5K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-56.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,993 ALL 161.5K

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-49.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,302 ALL 105.5K

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-78.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$977 ALL 79.1K

$735 MX$13.6K

32.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

11.45

-54.15%

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

Last update for Durres: 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

Durres

$321 28.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 18.6% $60

Groceries & Markets

Durres

$263 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 3% $7.9

Eating Out

Durres

$177 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 14.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Durres

$149 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durres

$125 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 9.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Durres

$56 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 20.1% $11

Getting Around

Durres

$38 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 34.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $451 in Durres and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durres pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Durres vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $263 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Durres

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

00:14 12:14 AM

6 h behind Durres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

175,110

149,923

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 81.01 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.8 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 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 ALL in detail →

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Between locations

Durres Playa del Carmen 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Durres
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

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

Durres wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Durres the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Durres, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $451 in Durres versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,128 per month in Durres versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Durres is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Durres runs roughly 26% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Durres is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.