Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bacau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
Learn more

Bacau Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bacau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Bacau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $916 in Bacau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bacau $916

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,552 in Bacau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bacau $1,552

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,189 in Bacau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bacau $2,189

Playa del Carmen costs about 32% more than Bacau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Bacau are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bacau 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$14.19 RON 67.8

-23.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$84.6 RON 404

-48.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.24 RON 34.60

62.71%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.04 RON 9.76

86.76%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.01 RON 9.58

-36.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.87 RON 8.93

-58.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.47 RON 11.81

28.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.34 RON 15.94

47.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.18 RON 5.65

19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.70 RON 3.33

217.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.69 RON 8.07

-15.98%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.47 RON 16.57

-27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$7.68 RON 36.70

-5.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$5.33 RON 25.47

44.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$8.30 RON 39.65

52.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.10 RON 5.24

152.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.48 RON 7.08

-7.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.49 RON 7.10

71.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.83 RON 8.75

15.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.72 RON 3.46

169.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.68 RON 3.27

177.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.75 RON 3.56

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.72 RON 3.43

63.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$5.35 RON 25.56

-19.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$5.25 RON 25.10

89.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.02 RON 4.87

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.17 RON 5.61

128.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.70 RON 3.33

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$29.15 RON 139

-8.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.61 RON 2.92

714.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.65 RON 3.10

412.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$6.72 RON 32.13

-20.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.78 RON 8.50

-19.10%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$28.9K RON 138.1K

-28.48%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$24.8K RON 118.7K

-5.54%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$106 RON 506

-19.98%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$7.47 RON 35.70

213.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$4.63 RON 22.12

519.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$25.29 RON 121

125.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$15.98 RON 76.4

80.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$6.09 RON 29.09

-15.60%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$589 RON 2,814

-64.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$4,986 RON 23.8K

-21.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$85.0 RON 406

-49.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$31.98 RON 153

29.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$60.3 RON 288

23.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$83.2 RON 398

7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$416 RON 1,988

135.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$236 RON 1,129

61.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$549 RON 2,621

211.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$405 RON 1,934

165.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,805 RON 8,624

118.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,229 RON 5,872

401.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$936 RON 4,475

-21.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.97

64.28%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bacau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bacau

$236 25.8% 38% $145

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bacau

$177 19.3% 30.7% $78

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bacau

$194 21.2% 4% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bacau

$118 12.9% 13.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bacau

$117 12.8% 4.9% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bacau

$37 4.1% 44.3% $30

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bacau

$36 3.9% 29.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $416 in Bacau. 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 27% higher in Bacau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $85 in Bacau. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $177 in Bacau – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Bacau

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

144,307

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bacau 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bacau

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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,373 in Bacau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $85 in Bacau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $916 in Bacau. That makes Bacau about 24% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $916 in Bacau to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.