Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaunas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,477 in Kaunas, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kaunas outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index
60

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

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Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,477

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,477 in Kaunas versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Kaunas $1,477
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,241 in Kaunas versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Kaunas $2,241
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,005 in Kaunas versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Kaunas $3,005
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Kaunas is roughly 22% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kaunas is 10% above, Playa del Carmen is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.80 €10.53

$10.97 MX$201

7.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.1

$44.85 MX$823

52.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 €8.84

$11.92 MX$219

-16.95%

Cappuccino

$3.46 €3.08

$3.80 MX$69.9

-8.95%

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

$3.33 €2.97

$1.31 MX$24.08

154.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.87

$0.86 MX$15.72

274.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.52

$3.21 MX$59.0

57.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$5.01 MX$92.0

-12.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.46 MX$26.77

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.33 MX$42.72

-23.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.44 MX$26.48

54.17%

Eggs

$3.36 €3.00

$2.46 MX$45.20

36.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.71 €13.13

$7.70 MX$141

91.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 €7.25

$7.89 MX$145

3.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 €12.14

$12.80 MX$235

6.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.92 MX$53.6

-46.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.42 MX$26.11

5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.57 MX$47.10

-15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 €2.97

$2.14 MX$39.24

55.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.95 MX$35.75

-51.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.94 MX$35.55

-49.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.15 MX$21.13

59.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.22 MX$22.42

-21.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 €5.48

$4.38 MX$80.3

40.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.10

$9.85 MX$181

3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.54 MX$28.23

12.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.72 MX$49.86

-22.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.52 MX$9.64

109.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.96 €28.52

$27.42 MX$503

16.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.02

$4.91 MX$90.2

-76.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.77

$3.52 MX$64.7

-75.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.71 €14.02

$5.69 MX$104

176.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.54 MX$28.27

24.03%

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

$26.9K €24.0K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

26.67%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

17.69%

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

$203 €181

$83.6 MX$1,535

142.44%

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

$16.06 €14.34

$24.03 MX$441

-33.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.30 €13.65

$29.33 MX$539

-47.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.92 €29.38

$64.9 MX$1,191

-49.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.67 €25.59

$29.46 MX$541

-2.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 €10.70

$5.09 MX$93.4

135.56%

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

$682 €609

$208 MX$3,813

228.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,760 €7,818

$4,045 MX$74.3K

116.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 €76.5

$44.55 MX$818

92.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.43 €36.08

$42.06 MX$772

-3.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$75.5 MX$1,387

60.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$91.4 MX$1,678

79.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €560

$986 MX$18.1K

-36.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 €391

$385 MX$7,072

13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 €829

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-45.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 €586

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-40.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,679 €3,283

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-8.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,386 €2,130

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-61.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,696 €1,513

$758 MX$13.9K

123.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

11.45

-64.63%

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

Last update for Kaunas: October 6, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Kaunas

$438 30%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 12% $53

Groceries & Markets

Kaunas

$280 19.2%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 7.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaunas

$234 16%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 41.5% $97

Eating Out

Kaunas

$226 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 9.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Kaunas

$185 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 38.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Kaunas

$57 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 31.9% $18

Getting Around

Kaunas

$42 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 24.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $627 in Kaunas and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaunas pays 124% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Kaunas vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $260 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

05:33 5:33 AM

8 h behind Kaunas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,993

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kaunas Playa del Carmen 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaunas
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Kaunas. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 124% higher in Kaunas, 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: $627 in Kaunas versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $68.0 in Kaunas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,477 per month in Kaunas versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,477 in Kaunas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kaunas. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,215 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kaunas and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Kaunas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.