Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dubasari

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubasari: $644 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Dubasari
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Dubasari Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Dubasari

🇲🇩 Moldova

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $644 in Dubasari.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Dubasari $644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $953 in Dubasari.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Dubasari $953

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,263 in Dubasari.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Dubasari $1,263

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 87% more expensive than in Dubasari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Dubasari 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$8.35 MDL 149

30.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$28.85 MDL 515

50.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.54 MDL 188

11.76%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$1.71 MDL 30.61

122.81%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.06 MDL 18.96

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.65 MDL 11.68

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$1.93 MDL 34.43

64.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$2.19 MDL 39.05

125.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.21 MDL 21.70

16.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.45 MDL 8.03

393.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.53 MDL 27.25

-7.19%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.15 MDL 38.37

17.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$6.77 MDL 121

7.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.54 MDL 81.1

69.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$6.24 MDL 111

103.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$0.98 MDL 17.55

183.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$2.24 MDL 40.05

-38.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.88 MDL 33.60

35.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$2.35 MDL 41.98

-9.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$0.77 MDL 13.72

151.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$0.52 MDL 9.31

263.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.46 MDL 8.24

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.54 MDL 9.59

118.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$3.36 MDL 59.9

27.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$4.38 MDL 78.3

127.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.38 MDL 24.63

14.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.92 MDL 34.28

39.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$2.71 MDL 48.45

83.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$0.26 MDL 4.67

1180.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$5.46 MDL 97.5

-1.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.55 MDL 27.59

-7.10%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$33.4K MDL 597.3K

-38.21%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$24.3K MDL 433.5K

-3.32%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$225 MDL 4,023

-62.36%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$7.76 MDL 139

201.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$11.09 MDL 198

158.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$11.13 MDL 199

412.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$7.31 MDL 131

-29.69%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$113 MDL 2,016

82.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$5,238 MDL 93.5K

-25.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$44.36 MDL 792

-2.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$56.6 MDL 1,011

31.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$50.3 MDL 898

77.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

43.12%

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 Dubasari: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Dubasari

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Dubasari

$162 25.2% 36.5% $93

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Dubasari

$140 21.7% 30.9% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Dubasari

$244 37.9% 78.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Dubasari

$68 * 10.6% 39.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Dubasari

$26 4% 61.7% $42

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Dubasari

$4 * 0.6% 92% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $29 in Dubasari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $162 per month, with Dubasari cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇩 Dubasari

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

01:55 1:55 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

23,254

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MDL = 5.6 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 17.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.6 USD). 1 EUR = 20.02 MDL (100 MDL = 5 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dubasari 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dubasari

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 Dubasari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubasari is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $965 in Dubasari 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $644 in Dubasari – Dubasari is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $644 in Dubasari versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dubasari but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Dubasari the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.