Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gdansk and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,754 in Gdansk, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gdansk outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Gdansk
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Gdansk Living Index
59

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

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Gdansk

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,754

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,754 per month in Gdansk vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gdansk $1,754
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,496 per month in Gdansk vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gdansk $2,496
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,237 per month in Gdansk vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gdansk $3,237
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Gdansk costs about 45% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Gdansk sits 30% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.52 zł 44.77

$10.76 MX$199

7.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 zł 220

$43.03 MX$795

31.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.73 zł 33.91

$11.79 MX$218

-25.95%

Cappuccino

$4.19 zł 16.27

$3.87 MX$71.4

8.27%

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

$2.31 zł 8.96

$1.37 MX$25.29

68.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 zł 6.63

$0.84 MX$15.44

103.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 zł 15.04

$3.10 MX$57.3

24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 zł 14.92

$5.07 MX$93.6

-24.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 zł 3.81

$1.44 MX$26.55

-31.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 zł 5.05

$2.23 MX$41.23

-41.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 zł 6.53

$1.47 MX$27.17

14.29%

Eggs

$3.85 zł 14.94

$2.53 MX$46.71

52.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 zł 33.58

$7.30 MX$135

18.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.36 zł 24.70

$7.86 MX$145

-19.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 zł 51.7

$12.79 MX$236

3.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 zł 4.87

$2.90 MX$53.6

-56.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.76

$1.44 MX$26.53

20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 zł 7.77

$2.55 MX$47.07

-21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 zł 12.45

$2.06 MX$38.03

55.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.06

$2.00 MX$36.97

-60.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 zł 4.26

$2.01 MX$37.07

-45.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 zł 5.25

$1.19 MX$22.02

13.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 zł 2.85

$1.26 MX$23.23

-42.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 zł 22.67

$4.40 MX$81.4

32.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 zł 26.06

$9.59 MX$177

-30.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 zł 4.72

$1.59 MX$29.41

-23.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 zł 7.12

$2.81 MX$51.9

-34.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 zł 4.62

$0.57 MX$10.47

108.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.84 zł 120

$27.82 MX$514

10.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 zł 7.79

$4.98 MX$92.1

-59.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 zł 3.81

$3.50 MX$64.6

-72.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 zł 48.96

$5.40 MX$99.8

133.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.44

$1.47 MX$27.08

12.93%

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

$30.4K zł 118.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

44.95%

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

$28.3K zł 110.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

18.39%

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

$290 zł 1,127

$84.2 MX$1,556

244.32%

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

$11.95 zł 46.45

$23.99 MX$443

-50.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.50 zł 79.6

$29.02 MX$536

-29.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.67 zł 170

$63.0 MX$1,164

-30.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 zł 112

$29.14 MX$539

-0.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 zł 29.19

$4.94 MX$91.3

52.02%

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

$530 zł 2,059

$204 MX$3,763

160.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 zł 31.6K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

106.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 zł 345

$43.60 MX$806

103.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.02 zł 187

$43.12 MX$797

11.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 zł 357

$75.8 MX$1,400

21.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 zł 400

$88.6 MX$1,637

16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$989 zł 3,842

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 zł 2,893

$374 MX$6,911

99.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 zł 6,358

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-4.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 zł 4,280

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-0.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,339 zł 20.7K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

35.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,031 zł 11.8K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-50.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,929 zł 7,494

$754 MX$13.9K

155.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.45

-41.75%

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

Last update for Gdansk: October 11, 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

Gdansk

$745 42.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 49.8% $371

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gdansk

$322 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 57.4% $185

Groceries & Markets

Gdansk

$225 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 14.8% $33

Eating Out

Gdansk

$212 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 4.5% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Gdansk

$149 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 24.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Gdansk

$59 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 24.1% $14

Getting Around

Gdansk

$43 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 23.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $989 in Gdansk 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 156% higher in Gdansk, 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 $57.0 in Gdansk versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Gdansk vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Gdansk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Gdansk

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

7 h behind Gdansk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

470,633

149,923

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gdansk Playa del Carmen 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Gdansk
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,754 in Gdansk, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,632 per month in Gdansk 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.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Gdansk and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Gdansk – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Gdansk at $1,754. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gdansk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Gdansk has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,754 in Gdansk. 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, Gdansk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.