Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gdansk

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,752 in Gdansk, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gdansk outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Gdansk
Learn more

Gdansk Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Gdansk

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,752 in Gdansk, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Gdansk $1,752

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,523 in Gdansk, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Gdansk $2,523

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,294 in Gdansk, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Gdansk $3,294

Playa del Carmen is about 31% cheaper than Gdansk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Gdansk is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$11.44 zł 44.71

-4.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$57.9 zł 226

-22.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$8.79 zł 34.37

35.61%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.10 zł 16.02

-7.32%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.33 zł 9.12

-43.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.65 zł 6.45

-47.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$3.77 zł 14.72

-14.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.81 zł 14.90

31.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.00 zł 3.93

46.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.29 zł 5.04

80.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.72 zł 6.74

-16.28%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$3.89 zł 15.22

-36.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$8.47 zł 33.11

-9.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$6.77 zł 26.47

16.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$13.76 zł 53.8

-6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$1.25 zł 4.90

133.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.81 zł 7.09

-21.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.10 zł 8.21

22.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$3.12 zł 12.20

-31.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$0.79 zł 3.09

146.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.06 zł 4.14

83.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.31 zł 5.14

-12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.69 zł 2.70

76.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$5.92 zł 23.13

-26.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$6.62 zł 25.89

48.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.23 zł 4.83

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$1.80 zł 7.03

51.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.20 zł 4.71

-56.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$30.95 zł 121

-11.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$2.03 zł 7.92

141.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.03 zł 4.04

241.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$12.55 zł 49.06

-54.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.62 zł 6.32

-4.94%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$30.2K zł 118.1K

-29.70%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$28.6K zł 111.9K

-14.49%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$296 zł 1,157

-71.74%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$11.78 zł 46.06

103.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$20.47 zł 80.0

43.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$44.71 zł 175

45.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$29.31 zł 115

0.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$7.84 zł 30.63

-35.08%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$537 zł 2,098

-61.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$7,897 zł 30.9K

-48.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$89.3 zł 349

-50.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$48.46 zł 189

-13.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$93.7 zł 366

-19.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$106 zł 415

-13.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$999 zł 3,906

-1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$742 zł 2,900

-48.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,670 zł 6,526

2.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,099 zł 4,295

0.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$5,429 zł 21.2K

-26.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$3,001 zł 11.7K

108.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$1,991 zł 7,782

-61.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.67

71.66%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Gdansk: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Gdansk

$742 42.1% 92.6% $357

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Gdansk

$228 12.9% 12.3% $32

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Gdansk

$209 11.9% 2.7% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Gdansk

$328 18.6% 140% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Gdansk

$152 8.6% 33.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Gdansk

$60 3.4% 19.5% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Gdansk

$43 2.4% 17.4% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $999 in Gdansk. 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 163% higher in Gdansk, 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $58.0 in Gdansk. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $228 in Gdansk – so Gdansk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇱 Gdansk

🕒 Local time

06:44 6:44 AM

13:44 1:44 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

470,633

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gdansk 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gdansk

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 Gdansk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, $1,752 in Gdansk – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,628 in Gdansk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in Playa del Carmen and $537 in Gdansk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Gdansk – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Gdansk at $1,752. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gdansk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,215 in Playa del Carmen to $1,752 in Gdansk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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