Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ljubljana and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,104 in Ljubljana, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index
58

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

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Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,104

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,104 in Ljubljana versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ljubljana $2,104
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,149 in Ljubljana versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ljubljana $3,149
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,194 in Ljubljana versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Ljubljana $4,194
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Ljubljana is roughly 75% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ljubljana is 55% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.86 €14.21

$10.92 MX$205

45.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.4

$43.37 MX$814

52.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.15

$11.78 MX$221

-3.82%

Cappuccino

$2.85 €2.55

$3.81 MX$71.5

-25.20%

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

$3.07 €2.75

$1.28 MX$24.07

139.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.78 MX$14.70

142.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.43

$3.17 MX$59.5

20.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.92

$4.93 MX$92.7

-11.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.19

$1.41 MX$26.40

-6.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.22 MX$41.62

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 €2.76

$1.42 MX$26.61

117.61%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.51

$2.52 MX$47.36

55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 €13.05

$7.26 MX$136

100.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.67 €8.66

$7.70 MX$144

25.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.54 €13.02

$12.69 MX$238

14.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.78 MX$52.3

-19.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.37 MX$25.68

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.55 MX$47.89

-9.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 €3.09

$2.12 MX$39.86

62.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.94 MX$36.39

-23.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.89 MX$35.41

-17.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.15 MX$21.53

49.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.18 MX$22.13

-27.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 €5.47

$4.30 MX$80.6

42.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 €6.86

$9.95 MX$187

-23.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.58 MX$29.73

-12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.67 MX$50.1

-18.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.55 MX$10.39

207.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.77 €37.40

$26.62 MX$500

56.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.99

$4.97 MX$93.3

-55.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.12

$3.33 MX$62.5

-62.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.81 €16.84

$5.36 MX$101

250.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.44 MX$27.11

25.00%

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

$29.4K €26.3K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

42.22%

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

$24.7K €22.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

5.06%

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

$289 €259

$84.8 MX$1,592

240.49%

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

$15.95 €14.28

$23.41 MX$439

-31.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.66 €34.62

$28.66 MX$538

34.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 €45.94

$57.1 MX$1,071

-10.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.20 €21.67

$28.91 MX$543

-16.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 €9.18

$5.14 MX$96.5

99.42%

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

$643 €576

$207 MX$3,878

211.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.3K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

248.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$43.35 MX$814

159.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.11 €38.61

$41.44 MX$778

4.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.3

$74.2 MX$1,393

47.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$89.3 MX$1,676

60.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,029

$980 MX$18.4K

17.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$907 €812

$381 MX$7,150

138.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 €2,119

$1,708 MX$32.1K

38.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 €1,453

$1,075 MX$20.2K

50.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,815 €6,104

$3,943 MX$74.0K

72.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,052 €4,524

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-17.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,940 €1,737

$735 MX$13.8K

164.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

11.45

-69.26%

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

Last update for Ljubljana: 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

Ljubljana

$907 43.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 58% $526

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ljubljana

$343 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.1% $206

Groceries & Markets

Ljubljana

$298 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 14.6% $44

Eating Out

Ljubljana

$243 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 16.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Ljubljana

$184 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 39.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Ljubljana

$72 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 6.2% $4.5

Getting Around

Ljubljana

$57 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 11.5% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Ljubljana and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ljubljana pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Ljubljana vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

6 h behind Ljubljana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,604 Capital

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

Ljubljana Playa del Carmen 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ljubljana
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Ljubljana is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $1,149 in Ljubljana versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 36% less than in Ljubljana. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $643 in Ljubljana versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,104 in Ljubljana, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ljubljana. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ljubljana, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Ljubljana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.