Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Doboj

For one person, living is cheaper in Doboj: $827 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Doboj
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
$827
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $827 in Doboj, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Doboj $827

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,267 in Doboj, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Doboj $1,267

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,707 in Doboj, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Doboj $1,707

Playa del Carmen costs about 46% more than Doboj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Doboj are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Doboj 39% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Doboj
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$4.70 BAM 8.18
131.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$28.38 BAM 49.34
55.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$4.65 BAM 8.09
152.90%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$1.33 BAM 2.31
176.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$1.26 BAM 2.18
6.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$1.11 BAM 1.93
-26.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$1.69 BAM 2.95
81.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$1.12 BAM 1.95
341.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Doboj
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.18 BAM 2.05
24.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$0.94 BAM 1.64
136.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$1.17 BAM 2.03
26.50%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$2.72 BAM 4.74
-8.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$2.34 BAM 4.06
221.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$7.34 BAM 12.77
8.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$8.50 BAM 14.79
47.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$1.46 BAM 2.53
90.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$1.38 BAM 2.40
3.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$1.27 BAM 2.21
106.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$1.33 BAM 2.32
60.90%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$0.94 BAM 1.64
114.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$1.06 BAM 1.85
87.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$0.33 BAM 0.57
245.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.66 BAM 1.15
81.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$3.36 BAM 5.85
26.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$6.81 BAM 11.84
47.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$0.94 BAM 1.63
63.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$1.40 BAM 2.43
90.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Doboj
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$1.27 BAM 2.20
-58.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$50.6 BAM 88.0
-45.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$0.87 BAM 1.51
463.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$0.72 BAM 1.26
376.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$5.56 BAM 9.67
-3.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$1.54 BAM 2.68
-5.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$21.3K BAM 37.1K
-0.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$23.2K BAM 40.3K
-0.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Doboj
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$158 BAM 275
-45.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$5.54 BAM 9.64
323.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$28.08 BAM 48.82
1.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Doboj
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$32.52 BAM 56.6
91.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$11.31 BAM 19.66
153.58%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$5.62 BAM 9.77
-9.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Doboj
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$114 BAM 199
75.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$3,833 BAM 6,665
2.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Doboj
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$45.48 BAM 79.1
-2.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$33.88 BAM 58.9
22.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$84.1 BAM 146
-13.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$98.6 BAM 171
-9.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Doboj
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$195 BAM 338
403.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$158 BAM 274
136.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$320 BAM 557
424.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$316 BAM 550
246.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$1,266 BAM 2,202
211.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$1,729 BAM 3,006
254.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Doboj
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$513 BAM 891
43.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.08
180.64%

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 Doboj: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Doboj
$158 57.7% $215
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Doboj
$169 34.7% $90
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Doboj
$88 56.2% $113
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Doboj
$192 39.6% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Doboj
$118 5.6% $6.3
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Doboj
$44 39.6% $29
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Doboj
$60 16.3% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $195 in Doboj. 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 44% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $28.00 in Doboj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $169 – making Doboj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇦 Doboj
🕒 Local time
19:53 7:53 PM
02:53 2:53 AM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
25,132
Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Doboj 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Doboj

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 Doboj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Doboj cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,241 in Doboj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Doboj, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Doboj?
Groceries cost about 53% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Doboj?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $28.00 in Doboj. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Doboj?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Doboj, where all-in costs run around $827, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Doboj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Doboj more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Doboj – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Doboj?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Doboj. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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