Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Iasi and in Playa del Carmen: $1,256 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
Learn more

Iasi Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Iasi vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Iasi $1,256
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Iasi vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Iasi $1,841
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,425 per month in Iasi vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Iasi $2,425
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Iasi costs about 4% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Iasi and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 8% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.5

$10.92 MX$204

-3.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 203

$43.37 MX$810

-2.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.50

$11.78 MX$220

-39.05%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.19

$3.81 MX$71.2

-22.57%

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

$2.28 RON 10.95

$1.28 MX$23.96

78.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.55

$0.78 MX$14.63

128.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.37

$3.17 MX$59.2

0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.45

$4.93 MX$92.2

-22.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.45

$1.41 MX$26.28

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.31

$2.22 MX$41.43

-40.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.49

$1.42 MX$26.48

38.73%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.64

$2.52 MX$47.14

28.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.59

$7.26 MX$136

13.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.67

$7.70 MX$144

-14.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.39

$12.69 MX$237

-20.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$2.78 MX$52.0

-52.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.78

$1.37 MX$25.56

18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$2.55 MX$47.66

-34.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.20

$2.12 MX$39.67

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$1.94 MX$36.22

-55.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$1.89 MX$35.24

-56.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.30

$1.15 MX$21.42

-4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.51

$1.18 MX$22.03

-20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.39

$4.30 MX$80.3

42.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.93

$9.95 MX$186

-33.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.43

$1.58 MX$29.59

-15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.17

$2.67 MX$49.91

-20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$0.55 MX$10.34

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$26.62 MX$497

3.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.86

$4.97 MX$92.9

-83.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$3.33 MX$62.2

-73.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.11

$5.36 MX$100

51.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.25

$1.44 MX$26.98

33.33%

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

$28.6K RON 137.4K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

38.35%

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

$25.8K RON 124.2K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

10.14%

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

$181 RON 871

$84.8 MX$1,584

113.61%

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

$7.28 RON 35.02

$23.41 MX$437

-68.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.42

$28.66 MX$535

-71.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$57.1 MX$1,066

-22.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.7

$28.91 MX$540

-44.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.25

$5.14 MX$96.0

66.93%

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

$385 RON 1,853

$207 MX$3,860

86.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

77.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 354

$43.35 MX$810

69.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 184

$41.44 MX$774

-7.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 442

$74.2 MX$1,386

24.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 428

$89.3 MX$1,668

-0.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,608

$980 MX$18.3K

-44.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,090

$381 MX$7,116

14.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,021

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,101

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-40.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-29.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,169

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-69.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,431

$735 MX$13.7K

53.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

11.45

-37.29%

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

Last update for Iasi: 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

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 12.4% $54

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 18.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.4% $60

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 11.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 10.2% $6.2

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 39.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $542 in Iasi 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 run about 54% higher in Iasi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Iasi versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $255 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

7 h behind Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

149,923

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iasi Playa del Carmen 10,050 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Iasi, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Iasi 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 Iasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $542 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Iasi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,256 in Iasi and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,256 in Iasi. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iasi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.