Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gjilan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
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Gjilan Living Index
58

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

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Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $774 in Gjilan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Gjilan $774
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,149 in Gjilan versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Gjilan $1,149
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,524 in Gjilan versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Gjilan $1,524
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Gjilan costs roughly 36% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gjilan 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.28 €3.83

$10.92 MX$205

-60.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.18 €19.87

$43.37 MX$814

-48.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 €4.88

$11.78 MX$221

-53.74%

Cappuccino

$1.37 €1.23

$3.81 MX$71.5

-64.04%

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

$1.07 €0.96

$1.28 MX$24.07

-16.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.78 MX$14.70

12.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.65 €1.48

$3.17 MX$59.5

-47.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.93 MX$92.7

-72.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.41 MX$26.40

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 €0.39

$2.22 MX$41.62

-80.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.42 MX$26.61

-10.56%

Eggs

$1.78 €1.59

$2.52 MX$47.36

-29.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 €7.20

$7.26 MX$136

10.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.77 €6.06

$7.70 MX$144

-12.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.45 €11.15

$12.69 MX$238

-1.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 €1.44

$2.78 MX$52.3

-42.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.37 MX$25.68

15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.55 MX$47.89

-30.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.12 MX$39.86

-21.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.94 MX$36.39

-52.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$1.89 MX$35.41

-54.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.15 MX$21.53

-33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 €0.44

$1.18 MX$22.13

-58.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 €3.02

$4.30 MX$80.6

-21.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 €4.93

$9.95 MX$187

-44.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.58 MX$29.73

-42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$2.67 MX$50.1

-54.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.98

$4.97 MX$93.3

-55.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 €0.49

$3.33 MX$62.5

-83.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 €3.02

$5.36 MX$101

-36.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.44 MX$27.11

-0.69%

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

$22.2K €19.9K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

7.55%

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

$25.7K €23.0K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

9.41%

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

$104 €93.4

$84.8 MX$1,592

22.96%

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

$11.39 €10.20

$23.41 MX$439

-51.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.40 €20.96

$28.66 MX$538

-18.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.32 €17.31

$57.1 MX$1,071

-66.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 €4.09

$5.14 MX$96.5

-11.09%

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

$169 €151

$207 MX$3,878

-18.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,476 €1,322

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-62.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.23 €37.82

$43.35 MX$814

-2.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.95 €28.61

$41.44 MX$778

-22.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.4

$74.2 MX$1,393

-15.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 €71.8

$89.3 MX$1,676

-10.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 €248

$980 MX$18.4K

-71.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 €203

$381 MX$7,150

-40.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 €424

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-72.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 €320

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-66.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$905 €811

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-77.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$698 €625

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-88.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$456 €408

$735 MX$13.8K

-37.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

11.45

-60.70%

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

Last update for Gjilan: 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

Gjilan

$227 29.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 67.9% $154

Groceries & Markets

Gjilan

$189 24.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gjilan

$139 18%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 1.6% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Gjilan

$98 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.2% $14

Eating Out

Gjilan

$86 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 136% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Gjilan

$28 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 137% $39

Getting Around

Gjilan

$7.1 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 608% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in Gjilan and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 61% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Gjilan vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $255 per month, with Gjilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

23:57 11:57 PM

6 h behind Gjilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,239

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gjilan Playa del Carmen 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Gjilan
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $774 in Gjilan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Gjilan is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Gjilan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $277 in Gjilan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $774 per month in Gjilan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Gjilan is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $774 in Gjilan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Gjilan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Gjilan 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.

It comes down to priorities – Gjilan wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.