Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lehliu Gara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lehliu Gara: $1,000 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Lehliu Gara
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Lehliu Gara Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Lehliu Gara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Lehliu Gara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,000 in Lehliu Gara.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Lehliu Gara $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,525 in Lehliu Gara.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Lehliu Gara $1,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,051 in Lehliu Gara.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Lehliu Gara $2,051

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 20% more expensive than in Lehliu Gara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Lehliu Gara 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$10.36 RON 49.67

5.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$41.94 RON 201

3.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.26 RON 34.82

62.26%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.52 RON 12.09

51.19%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$2.12 RON 10.15

-39.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.83 RON 8.78

-57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.14 RON 10.24

48.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.21 RON 15.38

53.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.18 RON 5.64

19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.69 RON 3.33

221.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.78 RON 8.54

-20.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.50 RON 16.80

-28.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.64 RON 36.66

-4.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.99 RON 28.72

28.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$8.65 RON 41.50

46.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.30 RON 6.22

113.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.62 RON 7.77

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.56 RON 7.47

63.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.81 RON 8.69

17.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.97 RON 4.66

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.06 RON 5.09

78.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.86 RON 4.10

33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.67 RON 3.24

76.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$5.67 RON 27.18

-24.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$5.37 RON 25.74

85.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.03 RON 4.92

53.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.18 RON 5.65

126.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.72 RON 3.46

-23.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$21.42 RON 103

24.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.65 RON 3.13

664.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.64 RON 3.09

420.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.91 RON 33.16

-22.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.76 RON 8.45

-18.18%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$28.7K RON 137.5K

-27.94%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$24.8K RON 118.8K

-5.27%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$148 RON 708

-42.53%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$7.54 RON 36.18

210.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$7.96 RON 38.16

260.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$38.55 RON 185

47.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$20.74 RON 99.5

39.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$6.23 RON 29.89

-17.50%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$599 RON 2,874

-65.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,046 RON 24.2K

-22.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$97.0 RON 465

-55.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$32.48 RON 156

27.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$60.5 RON 290

22.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$83.8 RON 402

6.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$378 RON 1,815

158.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$281 RON 1,350

35.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$585 RON 2,808

191.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$444 RON 2,129

142.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,876 RON 8,998

110.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,349 RON 6,470

356.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.2

59.03%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lehliu Gara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Lehliu Gara

$281 28.2% 26.1% $99

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Lehliu Gara

$185 18.5% 27.4% $70

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Lehliu Gara

$168 16.8% 17.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Lehliu Gara

$163 16.3% 19.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Lehliu Gara

$123 12.3% 10.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Lehliu Gara

$51 5.1% 24.2% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Lehliu Gara

$28 2.8% 44.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $378 in Lehliu Gara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $42 in Lehliu Gara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $185 per month, with Lehliu Gara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Lehliu Gara

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

03:27 3:27 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

6,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.8 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lehliu Gara 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lehliu Gara

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 Lehliu Gara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lehliu Gara is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,499 in Lehliu Gara 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $378 in Lehliu Gara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $599 in Lehliu Gara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Lehliu Gara runs roughly 20% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.