Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Elbasan

For one person, living is cheaper in Elbasan: $887 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Elbasan
Learn more

Elbasan Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Elbasan

🇦🇱 Albania

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $887 in Elbasan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Elbasan $887

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,399 in Elbasan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Elbasan $1,399

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,912 in Elbasan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Elbasan $1,912

Playa del Carmen costs about 36% more than Elbasan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Elbasan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Elbasan 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$9.95 ALL 802

7.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$36.83 ALL 2,967

18.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$6.76 ALL 544

74.41%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$1.72 ALL 138

120.35%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$1.40 ALL 113

-7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$0.65 ALL 52.7

27.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$2.14 ALL 172

47.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.74 ALL 220

79.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.90 ALL 153

-25.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$0.94 ALL 75.4

134.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.57 ALL 127

-6.37%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$2.60 ALL 210

-3.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$10.33 ALL 832

-29.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$5.91 ALL 476

34.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$11.30 ALL 910

13.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$1.20 ALL 96.8

141.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$2.25 ALL 182

-38.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$1.39 ALL 112

79.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$1.14 ALL 91.6

78.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$1.00 ALL 80.2

102.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$1.04 ALL 83.8

82.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$0.83 ALL 66.6

37.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$0.66 ALL 53.5

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$4.34 ALL 350

-1.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$6.10 ALL 492

60.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$1.02 ALL 82.3

55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$1.80 ALL 145

52.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$0.47 ALL 38.21

8.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$19.64 ALL 1,582

39.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$3.60 ALL 290

32.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$1.45 ALL 117

124.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$14.57 ALL 1,174

-63.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$2.14 ALL 172

-28.50%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$29.2K ALL 2.4M

-27.38%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$29.3K ALL 2.4M

-20.53%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$61.7 ALL 4,970

35.34%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$15.34 ALL 1,236

51.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$12.08 ALL 973

128.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$58.0 ALL 4,671

-2.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$17.03 ALL 1,372

65.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$4.41 ALL 355

13.38%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$142 ALL 11.4K

46.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$1,886 ALL 151.9K

177.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$72.7 ALL 5,856

-40.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$44.03 ALL 3,547

-3.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$93.4 ALL 7,522

-22.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$96.4 ALL 7,767

-8.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$297 ALL 23.9K

235.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$208 ALL 16.8K

83.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$435 ALL 35.1K

284.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$317 ALL 25.5K

241.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$1,377 ALL 111.0K

183.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$870 ALL 70.1K

605.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$626 ALL 50.4K

32.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.1

87.70%

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 Elbasan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Elbasan

$208 23.5% 45.5% $174

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Elbasan

$208 23.4% 19.4% $50

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Elbasan

$145 16.3% 27.7% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Elbasan

$89 10.1% 33.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Elbasan

$138 15.6% 24% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Elbasan

$67 7.5% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Elbasan

$32 3.7% 35.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $297 in Elbasan. 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 33% 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Elbasan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $208 – making Elbasan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇱 Elbasan

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

10:08 10:08 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

78,703

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 80.56 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.48 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Elbasan 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Elbasan

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 Elbasan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,331 in Elbasan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elbasan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $297 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $37 in Elbasan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Elbasan, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Elbasan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elbasan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Elbasan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.