Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Iernut

For one person, living is cheaper in Iernut: $931 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Iernut
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Iernut Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Iernut

🇷🇴 Romania

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $931 in Iernut.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Iernut $931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,426 in Iernut.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Iernut $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,921 in Iernut.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Iernut $1,921

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 29% more expensive than in Iernut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Iernut 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$8.20 RON 39.00

30.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$42.06 RON 200

4.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.36 RON 34.98

60.19%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.21 RON 10.52

71.49%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.57 RON 7.48

-17.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.19 RON 5.66

-30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.15 RON 10.22

46.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.34 RON 11.14

110.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.34 RON 6.37

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.11 RON 5.27

98.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.39 RON 6.60

5.76%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.88 RON 13.68

-13.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.14 RON 38.71

-10.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.03 RON 28.66

31.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$10.11 RON 48.06

27.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$0.95 RON 4.51

205.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.25 RON 5.96

10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.40 RON 6.65

77.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.77 RON 8.41

14.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.71 RON 3.36

184.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.54 RON 2.58

251.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.81 RON 3.86

40.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.71 RON 3.38

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$5.96 RON 28.33

-28.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.20 RON 34.24

36.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.07 RON 5.09

48.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.56 RON 7.40

76.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.82 RON 3.91

-37.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$23.54 RON 112

16.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.63 RON 3.00

655.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.67 RON 3.19

385.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$6.67 RON 31.68

-19.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.84 RON 8.76

-16.85%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$28.3K RON 134.7K

-25.13%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$25.2K RON 119.5K

-7.51%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$98.8 RON 470

-15.48%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$7.37 RON 35.03

214.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$7.91 RON 37.59

249.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$36.76 RON 175

53.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$20.46 RON 97.3

37.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.40 RON 30.42

-21.88%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$420 RON 1,995

-50.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$7,611 RON 36.2K

-31.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$51.6 RON 245

-15.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$29.93 RON 142

42.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$74.1 RON 352

-1.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$78.3 RON 372

12.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$377 RON 1,790

164.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$300 RON 1,424

27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$617 RON 2,934

171.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$448 RON 2,127

141.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,786 RON 8,487

118.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,223 RON 5,811

402.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.23

58.37%

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 Iernut: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Iernut

$300 32.2% 21.6% $83

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Iernut

$191 20.5% 25.8% $66

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Iernut

$141 15.1% 29.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Iernut

$114 12.3% 15.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Iernut

$105 11.3% 5.3% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Iernut

$50 5.3% 25.4% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Iernut

$31 3.3% 38.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $377 in Iernut. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $42 in Iernut for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $191 per month, with Iernut cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Iernut

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

02:56 2:56 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Iernut 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Iernut

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 Iernut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iernut is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,397 in Iernut to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $377 in Iernut. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Iernut – a meal for two runs $42 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $931 in Iernut – Iernut is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Iernut gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.