Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Budapest $3,467

Playa del Carmen is about 26% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.81 Ft 4,493

-20.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$61.5 Ft 20.0K

-29.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.16 Ft 3,305

15.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$3.22 Ft 1,048

18.32%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$2.06 Ft 671

-37.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$1.83 Ft 597

-57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$3.60 Ft 1,173

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$3.66 Ft 1,192

34.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.19 Ft 387

18.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.87 Ft 609

18.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$2.37 Ft 770

-40.08%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$3.96 Ft 1,288

-36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.16 Ft 3,632

-34.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.76 Ft 2,199

13.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$14.35 Ft 4,669

-11.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$1.81 Ft 588

53.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$2.11 Ft 686

-35.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$2.33 Ft 759

9.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$3.80 Ft 1,238

-44.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$0.99 Ft 323

95.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$0.98 Ft 320

92.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.55 Ft 505

-25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.70 Ft 227

68.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$7.79 Ft 2,536

-44.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$6.05 Ft 1,969

64.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.28 Ft 416

23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.04 Ft 663

30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.55 Ft 504

-64.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$27.28 Ft 8,878

-2.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$3.30 Ft 1,073

50.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$1.31 Ft 427

154.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$20.26 Ft 6,591

-73.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.82 Ft 592

-20.88%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$28.7K Ft 9.3M

-28.05%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$33.1K Ft 10.8M

-29.06%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$172 Ft 56.0K

-50.76%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$23.95 Ft 7,793

-2.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$23.31 Ft 7,585

22.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$68.6 Ft 22.3K

-16.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$18.91 Ft 6,153

52.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$10.18 Ft 3,312

-49.51%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$600 Ft 195.4K

-65.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-76.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$99.0 Ft 32.2K

-56.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$43.25 Ft 14.1K

-4.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$113 Ft 36.7K

-34.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$117 Ft 38.1K

-23.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$836 Ft 272.0K

17.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$640 Ft 208.2K

-40.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,598 Ft 520.0K

6.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$1,205 Ft 392.1K

-10.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$5,625 Ft 1.8M

-29.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$3,802 Ft 1.2M

61.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,671 Ft 543.8K

-56.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.45

77.52%

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 Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 68% $259

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 1.4% $3.6

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 60.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 50% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 32.1% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 14.1% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $836 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

16:12 4:12 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Budapest 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $836 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $600 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.