Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Durres

For one person, living is cheaper in Durres: $1,128 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durres
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Durres Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Durres

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,128 in Durres.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Durres $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,732 in Durres.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Durres $1,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,336 in Durres.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Durres $2,336

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 7% more expensive than in Durres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Durres 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$10.48 ALL 849

4.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$37.19 ALL 3,013

16.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.37 ALL 840

13.60%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$2.07 ALL 168

84.06%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$2.12 ALL 172

-39.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$1.07 ALL 86.9

-27.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$3.06 ALL 248

3.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$4.44 ALL 359

11.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$2.08 ALL 168

-32.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.03 ALL 83.4

115.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$2.29 ALL 185

-37.99%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$3.86 ALL 312

-34.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.69 ALL 1,028

-42.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.78 ALL 631

-1.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$15.02 ALL 1,217

-15.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$1.20 ALL 97.4

131.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$2.43 ALL 197

-43.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.56 ALL 126

63.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.32 ALL 107

60.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$0.90 ALL 73.1

115.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$0.95 ALL 77.2

98.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.22 ALL 99.1

-5.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.71 ALL 57.4

66.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$4.43 ALL 359

-2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.99 ALL 890

-9.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.49 ALL 121

6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.08 ALL 169

28.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.48 ALL 38.50

14.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$19.58 ALL 1,586

35.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$3.65 ALL 296

36.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$2.50 ALL 202

33.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$2.20 ALL 178

-34.55%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$16.0K ALL 1.3M

28.83%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$25.6K ALL 2.1M

-8.31%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$90.2 ALL 7,310

-6.04%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$18.02 ALL 1,460

29.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$16.33 ALL 1,323

75.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$41.02 ALL 3,323

39.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$61.3 ALL 4,963

-52.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$7.52 ALL 610

-31.65%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$189 ALL 15.3K

9.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$4,673 ALL 378.6K

-15.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$38.78 ALL 3,142

11.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$41.46 ALL 3,358

-0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$89.1 ALL 7,216

-16.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$162 ALL 13.1K

-44.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$451 ALL 36.5K

117.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$321 ALL 26.0K

18.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$703 ALL 57.0K

142.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$463 ALL 37.5K

132.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$1,993 ALL 161.5K

97.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,302 ALL 105.5K

372.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$977 ALL 79.1K

-24.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.25

118.10%

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 Durres: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Durres

$321 28.5% 15.7% $60

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Durres

$263 23.3% 3.1% $7.9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Durres

$177 15.7% 12.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Durres

$125 11.1% 9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Durres

$149 13.2% 33.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Durres

$56 5% 16.7% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Durres

$38 3.3% 25.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $451 in Durres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durres pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $37 in Durres. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $263, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇱 Durres

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

175,110

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 81.01 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.8 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Durres 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Durres

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 Durres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durres wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Durres the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $451 in Durres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,128 in Durres – Durres is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Durres runs roughly 26% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Durres is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.