Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dobrush

For one person, living is cheaper in Dobrush: $523 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Dobrush
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Dobrush Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Dobrush

🇧🇾 Belarus

$523

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $523 in Dobrush.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Dobrush $523

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $861 in Dobrush.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Dobrush $861

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,198 in Dobrush.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Dobrush $1,198

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 130% more expensive than in Dobrush, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Dobrush 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.60 BYN 19.81

64.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$29.95 BYN 89.8

47.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.26 BYN 12.77

176.06%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.60 BYN 4.81

130.00%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.61 BYN 1.84

119.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.33 BYN 0.98

148.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.18 BYN 3.55

159.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.54 BYN 7.63

94.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.69 BYN 2.06

113.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.58 BYN 1.75

282.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.09 BYN 3.28

35.78%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.42 BYN 4.26

75.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$6.93 BYN 20.79

8.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.23 BYN 12.68

88.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.06 BYN 18.17

107.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.22 BYN 3.67

127.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.67 BYN 5.02

-14.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.85 BYN 5.54

41.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.75 BYN 5.26

22.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.40 BYN 1.20

405.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.64 BYN 1.92

210.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.95 BYN 2.84

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.48 BYN 1.43

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.03 BYN 6.09

109.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.18 BYN 24.55

22.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.01 BYN 3.02

52.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.95 BYN 5.86

36.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.34 BYN 1.03

55.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$14.78 BYN 44.34

86.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.69 BYN 2.06

610.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.48 BYN 1.44

614.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$9.67 BYN 29.00

-44.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.91 BYN 2.72

59.34%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$20.0K BYN 60.1K

5.55%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$19.7K BYN 59.2K

16.56%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$62.7 BYN 188

36.12%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$7.31 BYN 21.92

220.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$11.56 BYN 34.68

145.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$36.34 BYN 109

71.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$3.40 BYN 10.21

50.00%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$326 BYN 977

-38.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$9,972 BYN 29.9K

-60.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$45.58 BYN 137

-2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$44.26 BYN 133

-6.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$87.9 BYN 264

-17.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$105 BYN 315

-14.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$356 BYN 1,067

175.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$576 BYN 1,729

191.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,121 BYN 3,364

252.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$897 BYN 2,692

583.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-23.67%

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 Dobrush: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Dobrush

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Dobrush

$152 29.1% 41% $106

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Dobrush

$100 19% 50.2% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Dobrush

$82 15.6% 40.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Dobrush

$127 24.3% 14% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Dobrush

$43 8.3% 40.4% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Dobrush

$19 3.7% 62.8% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $356 in Dobrush. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $30.00 in Dobrush for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $152 per month, with Dobrush cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇾 Dobrush

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

01:08 1:08 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

18,388

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Belarusian Ruble BYN Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BYN = 0.333 USD

1 BYN = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BYN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3 BYN (1 BYN = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 BYN (1 BYN = 0.297 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dobrush

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 Dobrush: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dobrush wins on cost – living expenses run 130% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dobrush the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $785 in Dobrush to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $356 in Dobrush. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dobrush – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $523 in Dobrush – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $523 in Dobrush versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dobrush but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Dobrush the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Dobrush delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $523 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Dobrush hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Dobrush are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dobrush gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.