Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Herceg Novi

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Herceg Novi: $1,204 and $1,257 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Herceg Novi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,257 in Herceg Novi.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Herceg Novi $1,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,997 in Herceg Novi.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Herceg Novi $1,997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,737 in Herceg Novi.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Herceg Novi $2,737

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 4% less than in Herceg Novi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Herceg Novi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$11.23 €9.99

-3.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$36.29 €32.28

21.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$9.16 €8.15

28.38%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.65 €2.36

38.87%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.50 €2.23

-46.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.63 €1.45

-49.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.84 €2.53

7.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.34 €2.97

47.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.20 €1.07

22.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.01 €0.90

119.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.93 €2.61

-49.49%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.98 €2.65

-16.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$9.02 €8.02

-16.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$7.43 €6.61

7.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$12.99 €11.56

-3.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.33 €1.18

109.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.57 €1.39

-8.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.63 €1.45

60.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.96 €2.63

-27.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.95 €0.85

112.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.29 €1.15

54.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.54 €1.37

-25.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.95 €0.85

26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.00 €3.56

6.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$4.37 €3.89

129.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.28 €1.14

20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.74 €1.55

52.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.64 €1.46

-67.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$44.46 €39.55

-38.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.84 €2.53

72.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.10 €0.97

211.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$17.09 €15.20

-68.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.72 €1.53

-15.70%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

-34.55%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$21.4K €19.0K

7.63%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$136 €121

-37.33%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$13.14 €11.69

78.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$33.88 €30.14

-16.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$56.6 €50.3

9.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$11.39 €10.13

151.80%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.81 €6.94

-34.70%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$444 €395

-54.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$7,024 €6,248

-43.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$84.3 €75.0

-47.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$33.74 €30.01

22.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$72.7 €64.7

0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$95.8 €85.2

-6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$651 €579

50.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$399 €355

-6.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,257 €1,118

33.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$888 €790

23.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,685 €3,278

7.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,421 €2,153

153.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,031 €917

-28.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

129.00%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Herceg Novi

$399 31.7% 7% $26

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Herceg Novi

$228 18.1% 11.7% $30

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Herceg Novi

$187 14.8% 6.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Herceg Novi

$183 14.6% 33.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Herceg Novi

$129 10.3% 15.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Herceg Novi

$72 5.7% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Herceg Novi

$59 4.7% 14.8% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $651 in Herceg Novi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Herceg Novi pays 40% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $36.00 in Herceg Novi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $228 per month, with Herceg Novi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

15:32 3:32 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,059

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Herceg Novi 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Herceg Novi

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 Herceg Novi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Herceg Novi differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $1,257 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Herceg Novi. 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $651 in Herceg Novi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Herceg Novi pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $36.00 in Herceg Novi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,257 in Herceg Novi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Herceg Novi. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Herceg Novi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Herceg Novi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.