Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Niksic and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Niksic: $980 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Niksic
Learn more

Niksic Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Niksic

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$980

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Niksic versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Niksic $980
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,468 in Niksic versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Niksic $1,468
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,955 in Niksic versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Niksic $1,955
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Niksic costs roughly 18% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Niksic 27% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.05 €7.17

$10.67 MX$200

-24.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.38 €27.94

$43.80 MX$823

-28.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 €4.99

$11.79 MX$221

-52.42%

Cappuccino

$1.72 €1.53

$3.79 MX$71.1

-54.62%

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

$1.89 €1.68

$1.30 MX$24.36

45.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.83 MX$15.65

32.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 €1.70

$3.15 MX$59.1

-39.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.04

$4.93 MX$92.7

-53.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.41 MX$26.46

-23.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 €0.79

$2.20 MX$41.23

-59.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.47 MX$27.66

34.01%

Eggs

$3.17 €2.82

$2.50 MX$46.89

26.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.44 €6.62

$7.29 MX$137

2.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 €5.45

$7.95 MX$149

-22.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.00 €9.79

$12.86 MX$242

-14.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.90 MX$54.4

-62.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.38 MX$25.98

-8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.49 MX$46.78

-45.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.03 MX$38.12

-0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 €0.86

$2.02 MX$38.03

-51.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.90 MX$35.74

-44.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.14 MX$21.49

-12.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.24 MX$23.27

-34.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 €3.61

$4.27 MX$80.2

-5.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 €4.47

$9.81 MX$184

-48.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.59 MX$29.78

-42.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.75 MX$51.6

-57.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.51 MX$9.67

113.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.09 €29.46

$27.39 MX$514

20.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 €0.51

$4.76 MX$89.4

-88.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 €0.52

$3.25 MX$61.0

-82.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 €6.64

$5.39 MX$101

38.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.53 MX$28.70

14.38%

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

$21.4K €19.0K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

0.75%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

9.55%

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

$120 €106

$83.5 MX$1,568

43.17%

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

$23.08 €20.55

$23.19 MX$435

-0.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.78 €21.18

$27.61 MX$519

-13.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.98 €30.25

$56.4 MX$1,060

-39.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.39 €9.25

$28.19 MX$529

-63.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 €4.95

$5.00 MX$93.9

11.20%

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

$81.5 €72.6

$207 MX$3,889

-60.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,539 €4,041

$5,231 MX$98.2K

-13.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 €73.9

$43.45 MX$816

91.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.10 €27.69

$42.54 MX$799

-26.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 €78.8

$72.8 MX$1,367

21.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.1

$88.4 MX$1,660

24.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 €368

$995 MX$18.7K

-58.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 €239

$382 MX$7,181

-29.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 €527

$1,674 MX$31.4K

-64.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 €362

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-62.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,617 €1,440

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-58.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 €1,057

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-80.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$797 €710

$832 MX$15.6K

-4.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

11.45

-51.97%

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

Last update for Niksic: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Niksic

$269 27.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 42.2% $113

Groceries & Markets

Niksic

$190 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 35.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Niksic

$166 17%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 19.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Niksic

$141 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 21% $30

Eating Out

Niksic

$128 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 56.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Niksic

$45 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 47.3% $21

Getting Around

Niksic

$41 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 23.2% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $414 in Niksic and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 4% 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: $31 in Niksic vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $257 per month, with Niksic cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Niksic

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

10:44 10:44 AM

6 h behind Niksic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,970

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Niksic Playa del Carmen 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Niksic
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $980 in Niksic and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Niksic is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Niksic. 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: $414 in Niksic versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $980 per month in Niksic versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Niksic is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 17% less than in Niksic. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $980 in Niksic versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Niksic but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Niksic 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 – Niksic 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.