Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chitila

For one person, living is cheaper in Chitila: $1,079 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Chitila
Learn more

Chitila Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chitila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,079 in Chitila, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chitila $1,079

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,671 in Chitila, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chitila $1,671

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,262 in Chitila, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chitila $2,262

Playa del Carmen costs about 12% more than Chitila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Chitila are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Chitila 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$12.82 RON 61.6

-14.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$57.0 RON 274

-23.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.18 RON 34.50

64.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.33 RON 15.99

14.41%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.74 RON 8.37

-26.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.29 RON 6.22

-39.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.17 RON 10.44

46.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.10 RON 14.88

59.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.58 RON 7.57

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.19 RON 5.71

86.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.72 RON 8.25

-17.44%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.99 RON 14.35

-15.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.82 RON 37.58

-7.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.59 RON 26.84

37.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$8.87 RON 42.63

43.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.28 RON 6.18

117.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.58 RON 7.59

-13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.52 RON 7.32

67.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.50 RON 12.01

-15.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.83 RON 4.00

133.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.74 RON 3.54

155.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.89 RON 4.27

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.81 RON 3.88

45.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$6.50 RON 31.22

-33.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.49 RON 31.20

53.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.07 RON 5.15

47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.67 RON 8.01

59.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.77 RON 3.69

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$21.66 RON 104

22.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.64 RON 3.10

676.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.64 RON 3.08

420.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.17 RON 29.67

-13.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.92 RON 9.24

-25.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$28.6K RON 137.4K

-27.73%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$25.4K RON 122.1K

-7.64%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$165 RON 793

-48.61%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$8.09 RON 38.90

189.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$9.35 RON 44.93

206.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$37.67 RON 181

51.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$20.39 RON 98.0

41.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.87 RON 33.01

-25.18%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$563 RON 2,705

-63.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$6,961 RON 33.5K

-43.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$84.0 RON 404

-48.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$45.20 RON 217

-8.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$88.8 RON 427

-16.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$87.1 RON 418

2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$382 RON 1,838

156.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$288 RON 1,384

32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$585 RON 2,811

191.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$445 RON 2,137

141.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,838 RON 8,835

114.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,335 RON 6,416

361.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$845 RON 4,059

-13.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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 Chitila: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chitila

$288 26.7% 24.4% $93

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chitila

$198 18.3% 22.4% $57

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chitila

$193 17.9% 4.5% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chitila

$182 16.9% 33.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chitila

$137 12.7% 22.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chitila

$51 4.8% 23.6% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chitila

$29 2.7% 43.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $382 in Chitila. 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 15% higher in Chitila, 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 $57 in Chitila. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $198 in Chitila – so Chitila wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Chitila

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

16:04 4:04 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

10,866

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chitila 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chitila

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 Chitila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,079 in Chitila – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,618 in Chitila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chitila, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $382 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $57 in Chitila. 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 $1,079 in Chitila. That’s a gap of about 12%.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,079 in Chitila, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chitila costs $1,079 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.