Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bečej

For one person, living is cheaper in Bečej: $844 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bečej
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Bečej Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bečej

🇷🇸 Serbia

$844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $844 in Bečej.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bečej $844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,261 in Bečej.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Bečej $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,679 in Bečej.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Bečej $1,679

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 43% more expensive than in Bečej, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bečej 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.50 RSD 677

67.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$33.61 RSD 3,504

31.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$9.59 RSD 1,000

22.63%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.18 RSD 123

211.86%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.40 RSD 146

-4.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.74 RSD 77.4

10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.46 RSD 153

109.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.90 RSD 198

160.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.98 RSD 102

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.17 RSD 122

89.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.45 RSD 151

2.07%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.11 RSD 220

18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.84 RSD 921

-14.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.67 RSD 696

19.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.32 RSD 763

71.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$0.98 RSD 102

183.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.85 RSD 193

-22.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.55 RSD 162

69.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.86 RSD 194

15.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.70 RSD 72.9

188.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.32 RSD 33.01

521.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.64 RSD 66.7

78.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.54 RSD 56.7

122.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.92 RSD 409

8.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$3.78 RSD 394

165.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.66 RSD 68.4

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$0.93 RSD 97.2

186.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.90 RSD 93.9

-41.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.87 RSD 195

162.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.80 RSD 83.0

328.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$9.43 RSD 983

-42.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.92 RSD 201

-24.48%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

-31.44%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

-2.99%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$62.0 RSD 6,458

37.79%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$9.59 RSD 999

144.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$23.07 RSD 2,405

23.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$29.23 RSD 3,047

112.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$8.36 RSD 872

-39.00%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$433 RSD 45.2K

-53.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$11.2K RSD 1.2M

-64.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$110 RSD 11.4K

-59.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$47.52 RSD 4,953

-12.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$63.3 RSD 6,601

14.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$113 RSD 11.7K

-20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$316 RSD 33.0K

209.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$256 RSD 26.7K

45.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$434 RSD 45.2K

287.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$327 RSD 34.1K

235.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,136 RSD 222.7K

84.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,750 RSD 182.4K

250.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$526 RSD 54.8K

40.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.61

148.37%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Bečej: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Bečej

$256 30.3% 31.4% $117

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Bečej

$174 20.6% 32.8% $85

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Bečej

$115 13.6% 42.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bečej

$95 11.2% 31.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bečej

$150 17.8% 34.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Bečej

$46 5.5% 36.5% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Bečej

$9.5 * 1.1% 81.7% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $316 in Bečej. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 40% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $34.00 in Bečej for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $174 per month, with Bečej cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇸 Bečej

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

15:16 3:16 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,492

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bečej 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bečej

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 Bečej: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bečej is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $316 in Bečej. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $844 in Bečej – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $844 in Bečej versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bečej but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bečej the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Bečej are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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