Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Focsani

For one person, living is cheaper in Focsani: $1,022 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Focsani
Learn more

Focsani Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Focsani

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,022 in Focsani.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Focsani $1,022

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,645 in Focsani.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Focsani $1,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,268 in Focsani.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Focsani $2,268

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 18% more expensive than in Focsani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Focsani 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$7.15 RON 33.85

50.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$42.05 RON 199

2.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$7.21 RON 34.11

63.52%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.50 RON 11.84

54.80%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.93 RON 9.15

-29.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.59 RON 7.50

-47.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.92 RON 9.07

61.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.56 RON 12.11

98.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.65 RON 7.82

-12.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.11 RON 5.24

100.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.23 RON 5.83

19.51%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.15 RON 14.89

-19.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.72 RON 41.26

-16.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.86 RON 32.45

14.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.66 RON 50.4

19.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.16 RON 5.48

150.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.55 RON 7.35

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.55 RON 7.32

64.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.28 RON 10.77

-9.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.83 RON 3.92

140.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.74 RON 3.50

171.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.61 RON 2.87

95.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.71 RON 3.37

77.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$5.92 RON 28.01

-25.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$4.23 RON 20.00

126.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.14 RON 5.39

39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.48 RON 7.00

89.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.83 RON 3.91

-31.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$15.66 RON 74.1

77.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.65 RON 3.08

666.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.65 RON 3.06

438.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$6.43 RON 30.42

-16.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.88 RON 8.89

-21.81%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$24.8K RON 117.1K

-15.24%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$24.2K RON 114.5K

-1.20%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$170 RON 806

-50.55%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$8.23 RON 38.96

191.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$9.13 RON 43.22

217.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$27.99 RON 132

125.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$36.72 RON 174

-20.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$8.51 RON 40.28

-41.95%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$312 RON 1,478

-34.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$14.6K RON 69.1K

-73.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$89.2 RON 422

-51.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$38.34 RON 181

12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$80.3 RON 380

-5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$90.5 RON 428

-2.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$365 RON 1,726

176.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$292 RON 1,381

28.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$909 RON 4,300

87.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$638 RON 3,020

73.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,060 RON 5,014

272.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$872 RON 4,125

607.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$690 RON 3,263

9.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Focsani: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Focsani

$292 28.6% 21.9% $82

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Focsani

$202 19.8% 21.7% $56

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Focsani

$138 13.5% 31.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Focsani

$188 18.4% 36.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Focsani

$134 13.1% 18.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Focsani

$45 4.4% 38.2% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Focsani

$23 2.2% 56.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $365 in Focsani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $42.00 in Focsani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $202 per month, with Focsani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Focsani

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

05:39 5:39 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

97,186

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Focsani 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Focsani

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 Focsani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Focsani wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Focsani the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $365 in Focsani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Focsani – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,022 in Focsani – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,022 in Focsani versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Focsani but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Focsani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Focsani delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,022 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Focsani hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Focsani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.