Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cakovec

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,335 in Cakovec, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Cakovec
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,335
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,335 in Cakovec, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Cakovec $1,335

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,949 in Cakovec, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Cakovec $1,949

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,564 in Cakovec, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Cakovec $2,564

Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper than Cakovec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cakovec are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cakovec 1% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Cakovec
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$7.07 €6.29
53.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$44.58 €39.65
-0.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$7.98 €7.10
47.37%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$2.17 €1.93
69.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$2.08 €1.85
-35.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$1.72 €1.53
-52.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$2.54 €2.26
20.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$3.28 €2.92
50.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Cakovec
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.21 €1.08
21.49%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$1.60 €1.42
38.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$3.35 €2.98
-55.82%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$3.47 €3.09
-28.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$15.98 €14.21
-52.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$10.35 €9.20
-23.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$9.97 €8.87
26.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$1.63 €1.45
70.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$1.75 €1.56
-18.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$1.58 €1.41
65.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$1.61 €1.43
32.92%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$1.38 €1.22
46.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$1.32 €1.17
50.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$0.82 €0.73
39.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$1.35 €1.20
-11.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$5.43 €4.83
-21.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$7.49 €6.66
33.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$1.26 €1.12
22.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$1.92 €1.71
38.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Cakovec
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$2.35 €2.09
-77.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$61.9 €55.1
-55.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$5.60 €4.98
-12.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$1.38 €1.23
148.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$11.21 €9.98
-52.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$1.68 €1.50
-13.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$26.2K €23.3K
-19.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$24.7K €21.9K
-6.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Cakovec
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$190 €169
-55.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$18.04 €16.05
30.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$33.29 €29.61
-14.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Cakovec
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$52.6 €46.80
18.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$22.41 €19.93
27.98%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$7.94 €7.07
-35.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Cakovec
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$129 €115
55.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$8,329 €7,409
-52.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Cakovec
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$97.2 €86.4
-54.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$41.05 €36.51
0.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$86.9 €77.3
-16.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$108 €96.2
-17.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Cakovec
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$480 €427
103.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$381 €339
-2.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$691 €615
143.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$518 €461
111.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$3,160 €2,810
24.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$2,235 €1,988
174.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Cakovec
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$1,295 €1,152
-43.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.73
206.97%

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 Cakovec: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Cakovec
$381 2.3% $8.5
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Cakovec
$269 4.2% $11
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Cakovec
$141 29.5% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Cakovec
$241 75.6% $104
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Cakovec
$150 34.3% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Cakovec
$69 5.4% $3.9
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Cakovec
$84 62.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $480 in Cakovec. 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 76% higher in Cakovec, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $45.00 in Cakovec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $269 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇭🇷 Cakovec
🕒 Local time
09:54 9:54 AM
16:54 4:54 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
27,122
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Cakovec 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Cakovec

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 Cakovec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Cakovec?
Cakovec costs about 11% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Cakovec?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,002 in Cakovec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Cakovec?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Cakovec?
Groceries cost about 4% more in Cakovec, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Cakovec?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $45.00 in Cakovec. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Cakovec?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Cakovec at $1,335. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cakovec it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Cakovec?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,335 in Cakovec. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Playa del Carmen compared to Cakovec?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Cakovec?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cakovec makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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