Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lodz and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,492 in Lodz, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lodz outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Lodz
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Lodz Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Lodz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,492

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,492 in Lodz versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Lodz $1,492
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,191 in Lodz versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Lodz $2,191
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,889 in Lodz versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Lodz $2,889
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Lodz is roughly 24% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lodz is 10% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.67 zł 37.93

$10.86 MX$203

-10.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.77 zł 183

$44.21 MX$827

5.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 zł 34.50

$11.76 MX$220

-25.17%

Cappuccino

$3.55 zł 13.93

$3.68 MX$68.9

-3.53%

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

$2.80 zł 10.97

$1.34 MX$25.11

108.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 zł 10.65

$0.82 MX$15.44

231.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 zł 18.25

$3.06 MX$57.3

51.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 zł 20.25

$4.94 MX$92.4

4.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 zł 3.86

$1.47 MX$27.52

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 zł 4.23

$2.22 MX$41.47

-51.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.27

$1.48 MX$27.67

-9.46%

Eggs

$3.47 zł 13.59

$2.49 MX$46.59

39.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 zł 41.19

$7.52 MX$141

39.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 zł 27.14

$7.96 MX$149

-13.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 zł 46.96

$12.57 MX$235

-4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 zł 4.50

$2.78 MX$52.0

-58.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 zł 6.53

$1.43 MX$26.71

16.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 zł 9.10

$2.62 MX$48.99

-11.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 zł 11.76

$2.14 MX$39.99

40.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 zł 3.07

$2.02 MX$37.86

-61.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 zł 3.66

$1.99 MX$37.21

-53.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 zł 5.47

$1.14 MX$21.28

22.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 zł 2.35

$1.20 MX$22.46

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.80 zł 22.75

$4.26 MX$79.7

36.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 zł 26.51

$10.02 MX$187

-32.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 zł 4.53

$1.54 MX$28.77

-24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 zł 6.88

$2.66 MX$49.80

-34.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 zł 4.31

$0.53 MX$9.85

107.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.1 zł 204

$27.51 MX$515

89.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 zł 6.06

$4.90 MX$91.8

-68.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 zł 2.11

$3.43 MX$64.3

-84.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 zł 36.67

$5.38 MX$101

73.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 zł 6.31

$1.45 MX$27.10

11.03%

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

$30.4K zł 119.1K

$21.2K MX$396.0K

43.50%

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

$28.3K zł 110.9K

$23.0K MX$430.8K

22.82%

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

$321 zł 1,258

$85.4 MX$1,598

275.66%

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

$8.43 zł 33.05

$23.46 MX$439

-64.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.64 zł 69.2

$28.43 MX$532

-37.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.34 zł 143

$62.2 MX$1,164

-41.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.84 zł 70.0

$28.68 MX$537

-37.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 zł 32.70

$5.10 MX$95.5

63.53%

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

$511 zł 2,004

$201 MX$3,763

154.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K zł 40.0K

$3,947 MX$73.9K

158.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 zł 288

$44.39 MX$831

65.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 zł 159

$41.35 MX$774

-1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 zł 356

$72.7 MX$1,362

24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 zł 388

$89.6 MX$1,677

10.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 zł 2,349

$979 MX$18.3K

-38.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 zł 1,849

$373 MX$6,976

26.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 zł 4,297

$1,681 MX$31.5K

-34.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 zł 3,265

$1,095 MX$20.5K

-23.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,108 zł 12.2K

$3,949 MX$73.9K

-21.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,352 zł 9,223

$6,137 MX$114.9K

-61.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,627 zł 6,382

$738 MX$13.8K

120.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.87

11.45

-40.00%

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

Last update for Lodz: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lodz

$472 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 21% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lodz

$347 23.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.4% $209

Groceries & Markets

Lodz

$222 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 16.5% $37

Eating Out

Lodz

$202 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 0.9% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Lodz

$137 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.3% $25

Getting Around

Lodz

$61 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 14.9% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lodz

$53 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 36.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Lodz and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lodz pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Lodz vs $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $222 vs $258, with Lodz cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Lodz

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

19:45 7:45 PM

6 h behind Lodz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

711,332

149,923

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3.92 PLN (1 PLN = 0.255 USD). 1 EUR = 4.39 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lodz Playa del Carmen 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lodz
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Lodz. 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 in Lodz is about 2.2 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: $599 in Lodz versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lodz pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $47 in Lodz. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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