Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ballsh

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Ballsh: $1,204 and $1,185 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
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Ballsh Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Ballsh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,185 in Ballsh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ballsh $1,185

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,834 in Ballsh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ballsh $1,834

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,484 in Ballsh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ballsh $2,484

Playa del Carmen and Ballsh have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ballsh are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ballsh 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$9.65 ALL 786

13.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$54.6 ALL 4,443

-20.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.04 ALL 573

67.33%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.25 ALL 183

69.33%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.47 ALL 120

-12.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.90 ALL 73.3

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.50 ALL 285

-9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.11 ALL 335

19.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.24 ALL 183

-37.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.22 ALL 99.0

81.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.35 ALL 191

-39.57%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.80 ALL 310

-33.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$13.01 ALL 1,059

-44.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$9.45 ALL 770

-18.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$17.32 ALL 1,411

-26.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.97 ALL 160

41.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.51 ALL 204

-45.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.22 ALL 181

14.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.91 ALL 155

10.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.06 ALL 86.7

83.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.32 ALL 107

43.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.50 ALL 123

-23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.80 ALL 65.5

47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$4.79 ALL 390

-10.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.42 ALL 849

-4.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.62 ALL 132

-2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.03 ALL 166

31.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.53 ALL 42.87

3.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$18.09 ALL 1,473

47.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.77 ALL 307

31.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$3.82 ALL 311

-12.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$18.59 ALL 1,514

-71.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$2.42 ALL 197

-40.50%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

-37.82%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$29.1K ALL 2.4M

-19.50%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$97.8 ALL 7,963

-13.28%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$18.77 ALL 1,529

24.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$20.21 ALL 1,646

41.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$50.8 ALL 4,139

12.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$9.73 ALL 792

-47.17%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$341 ALL 27.7K

-39.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,309 ALL 676.7K

-52.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$48.97 ALL 3,989

-11.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$47.59 ALL 3,876

-12.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$118 ALL 9,633

-37.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$112 ALL 9,148

-20.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$446 ALL 36.3K

119.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$332 ALL 27.1K

14.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$612 ALL 49.9K

178.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$486 ALL 39.6K

121.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,745 ALL 142.1K

125.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,144 ALL 93.2K

438.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.16

121.90%

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 Ballsh: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ballsh

$332 28% 12.8% $49

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ballsh

$295 24.9% 15.9% $41

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ballsh

$160 13.5% 20.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ballsh

$137 11.5% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ballsh

$147 12.4% 31.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ballsh

$70 5.9% 4.4% $3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ballsh

$43 3.6% 14.7% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $446 in Ballsh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $55 in Ballsh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $295 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

06:26 6:26 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

7,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 81.44 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.66 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ballsh 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ballsh

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 Ballsh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,778 in Ballsh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ballsh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $446 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $341 in Ballsh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,185 in Ballsh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,185 in Ballsh to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.