Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dupnica

For one person, living is cheaper in Dupnica: $867 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.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Dupnica, Bulgaria
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Dupnica
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$867
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $867 in Dupnica, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Dupnica $867

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,378 in Dupnica, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Dupnica $1,378

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,889 in Dupnica, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Dupnica $1,889

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Dupnica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$10.42 BGN 18.23
2.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$51.1 BGN 89.5
-14.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$8.83 BGN 15.45
33.52%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$2.22 BGN 3.89
70.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.55 BGN 2.71
-16.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.89 BGN 1.55
-6.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$2.18 BGN 3.81
44.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$1.95 BGN 3.41
152.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Dupnica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.72 BGN 3.01
-18.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$0.58 BGN 1.01
279.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$0.99 BGN 1.73
48.48%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$2.36 BGN 4.14
5.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$9.34 BGN 16.34
-21.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$6.50 BGN 11.37
22.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$8.29 BGN 14.51
55.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$1.10 BGN 1.93
163.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.71 BGN 3.00
-19.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$1.75 BGN 3.06
42.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$1.95 BGN 3.41
4.10%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$0.94 BGN 1.64
114.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$0.70 BGN 1.23
171.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$0.52 BGN 0.91
119.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$0.52 BGN 0.92
138.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$3.74 BGN 6.55
14.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$5.11 BGN 8.95
91.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$0.76 BGN 1.32
109.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$1.69 BGN 2.96
62.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Dupnica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$0.55 BGN 0.97
-7.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$25.87 BGN 45.28
5.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$1.34 BGN 2.35
255.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$0.64 BGN 1.12
407.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$11.32 BGN 19.81
-52.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.66 BGN 2.90
-7.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$30.0K BGN 52.4K
-29.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$24.1K BGN 42.1K
-3.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Dupnica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$93.9 BGN 164
-11.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$14.81 BGN 25.92
56.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$12.40 BGN 21.70
122.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Dupnica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$31.43 BGN 55.0
79.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$17.10 BGN 29.92
64.85%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$4.59 BGN 8.03
8.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Dupnica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$226 BGN 395
-8.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$2,321 BGN 4,062
125.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Dupnica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$29.91 BGN 52.3
45.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$19.10 BGN 33.43
122.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$64.0 BGN 112
13.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$51.6 BGN 90.3
71.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Dupnica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$328 BGN 574
203.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$253 BGN 444
50.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$548 BGN 959
205.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$407 BGN 712
165.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$1,324 BGN 2,316
195.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$1,077 BGN 1,884
469.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Dupnica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$1,050 BGN 1,838
-20.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2.99
282.94%

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 Dupnica: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Dupnica
$253 33.7% $129
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Dupnica
$184 28.4% $73
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Dupnica
$161 19.6% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Dupnica
$121 9.8% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Dupnica
$74 33.4% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Dupnica
$41 38.9% $26
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Dupnica
$33 35.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $328 in Dupnica. 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 26% higher in Dupnica, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $51 in Dupnica. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $184 in Dupnica – so Dupnica wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇬 Dupnica
🕒 Local time
08:15 8:15 AM
15:15 3:15 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
37,081
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Dupnica 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Dupnica

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 Dupnica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Dupnica compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $867 in Dupnica – Dupnica comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Dupnica?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,301 in Dupnica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Dupnica?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Dupnica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $328 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Dupnica?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $226 in Dupnica. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 40% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dupnica, where all-in costs run around $867, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Dupnica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Dupnica?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $867 in Dupnica to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?