Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cugir

For one person, living is cheaper in Cugir: $866 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Cugir
Learn more

Cugir Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Cugir

🇷🇴 Romania

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $866 in Cugir, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Cugir $866

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,273 in Cugir, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cugir $1,273

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,680 in Cugir, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Cugir $1,680

Playa del Carmen costs about 39% more than Cugir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cugir are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cugir 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$5.71 RON 27.13

86.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$21.29 RON 101

105.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.28 RON 34.61

61.95%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.50 RON 7.13

152.67%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.37 RON 6.50

-5.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.16 RON 5.52

-28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.43 RON 6.81

120.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.13 RON 10.14

131.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.25 RON 5.94

12.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.19 RON 5.68

84.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.77 RON 8.41

-16.95%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.66 RON 12.63

-6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.30 RON 34.69

-0.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.69 RON 22.27

69.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$10.39 RON 49.40

23.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.67 RON 7.92

73.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.77 RON 8.44

-22.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.72 RON 8.16

44.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.40 RON 6.64

45.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.80 RON 3.78

152.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.87 RON 4.12

118.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.20 RON 5.70

-5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.81 RON 3.86

53.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$5.22 RON 24.79

-18.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$5.75 RON 27.35

70.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.23 RON 5.86

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.74 RON 8.28

58.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.71 RON 3.39

-28.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$21.52 RON 102

27.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.54 RON 2.56

781.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.54 RON 2.57

501.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$5.26 RON 25.02

2.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.37 RON 6.51

11.68%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$28.2K RON 133.9K

-24.69%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$25.2K RON 119.9K

-7.78%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$122 RON 581

-31.66%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$8.30 RON 39.47

179.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$7.09 RON 33.69

289.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$32.70 RON 155

72.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$22.90 RON 109

23.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.28 RON 25.08

-5.30%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$156 RON 742

32.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$3,898 RON 18.5K

34.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$31.54 RON 150

37.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$8.46 RON 40.22

402.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$70.1 RON 333

3.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$73.4 RON 349

20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$420 RON 1,997

136.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$277 RON 1,316

38.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$684 RON 3,249

144.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$422 RON 2,007

155.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,155 RON 10.2K

81.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,188 RON 5,647

416.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$531 RON 2,525

56.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.35

55.78%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cugir: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Cugir

$277 32% 27.6% $106

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Cugir

$191 22.1% 25.7% $66

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Cugir

$107 12.4% 46.5% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Cugir

$138 15.9% 2.4% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Cugir

$83 9.5% 25.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Cugir

$43 5% 34.9% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cugir

$28 3.2% 45.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $420 in Cugir. 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 57% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $21 in Cugir. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $191 – making Cugir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Cugir

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

28,780

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cugir 9,850 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cugir

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 Cugir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,299 in Cugir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cugir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $21 in Cugir. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $866 in Cugir. That makes Cugir about 28% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cugir, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Cugir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cugir – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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