Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Craiova

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Craiova: $1,204 and $1,217 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,217 in Craiova.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Craiova $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,869 in Craiova.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Craiova $1,869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,520 in Craiova.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Craiova $2,520

Monthly costs are close between Playa del Carmen and Craiova; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Craiova 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.14 RON 34.11

52.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$41.37 RON 198

4.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.45 RON 35.60

58.12%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.71 RON 12.96

40.59%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.23 RON 10.63

-42.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.77 RON 8.45

-55.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.24 RON 10.70

41.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.51 RON 16.78

40.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.27 RON 6.08

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.82 RON 3.92

170.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.42 RON 6.76

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.26 RON 15.56

-22.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$7.21 RON 34.47

0.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.47 RON 30.92

19.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.49 RON 54.9

10.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$0.95 RON 4.53

192.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.50 RON 7.15

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.45 RON 6.93

75.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.80 RON 8.61

17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.76 RON 3.65

155.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.89 RON 4.27

112.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.73 RON 3.50

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.77 RON 3.66

53.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$6.59 RON 31.47

-34.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.34 RON 30.29

56.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.20 RON 5.75

31.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.46 RON 6.99

82.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.88 RON 4.19

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$25.16 RON 120

5.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.61 RON 2.93

714.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.65 RON 3.09

412.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$6.37 RON 30.46

-15.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.90 RON 9.10

-24.21%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$28.9K RON 138.0K

-28.43%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$25.8K RON 123.5K

-9.17%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$216 RON 1,034

-60.83%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$9.24 RON 44.18

153.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$11.57 RON 55.3

147.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$38.59 RON 184

47.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$21.52 RON 103

34.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$7.28 RON 34.77

-29.40%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$411 RON 1,962

-49.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$8,047 RON 38.5K

-51.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$62.9 RON 301

-31.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$50.6 RON 242

-18.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$82.8 RON 396

-10.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$103 RON 494

-13.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$532 RON 2,541

84.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$418 RON 2,000

-8.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$910 RON 4,346

87.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$829 RON 3,961

29.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$2,703 RON 12.9K

45.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,988 RON 9,498

209.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$914 RON 4,368

-19.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.84

67.40%

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 Craiova: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Craiova

$418 34.4% 9.9% $38

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Craiova

$194 16% 23.7% $60

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Craiova

$146 12% 27.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Craiova

$237 19.5% 73.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Craiova

$135 11.1% 20.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Craiova

$53 4.4% 21% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Craiova

$33 2.7% 35.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $532 in Craiova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Craiova pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $41 in Craiova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $194 per month, with Craiova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Craiova

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

269,506

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Craiova 9,960 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Craiova

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 Craiova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $532 in Craiova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $411 in Craiova. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Craiova – a meal for two runs $41 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Craiova on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.