Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Montana

For one person, living is cheaper in Montana: $838 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Montana
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Montana Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Montana

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $838 in Montana, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Montana $838

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,348 in Montana, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Montana $1,348

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,857 in Montana, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Montana $1,857

Playa del Carmen costs about 43% more than Montana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Montana are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Montana 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$9.11 BGN 15.95

17.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$36.30 BGN 63.5

20.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.33 BGN 16.33

26.37%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$1.44 BGN 2.51

163.19%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$1.35 BGN 2.36

-3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$1.12 BGN 1.96

-25.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$1.29 BGN 2.26

144.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$1.05 BGN 1.84

369.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.69 BGN 2.95

-16.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$1.04 BGN 1.82

111.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$2.09 BGN 3.65

-29.67%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$2.69 BGN 4.70

-7.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$9.84 BGN 17.22

-25.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.25 BGN 5.70

144.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$12.75 BGN 22.30

0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$1.27 BGN 2.22

128.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$1.79 BGN 3.13

-22.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$1.75 BGN 3.07

42.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$2.61 BGN 4.57

-22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$0.72 BGN 1.27

180.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$0.90 BGN 1.57

111.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$0.93 BGN 1.63

22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$0.52 BGN 0.91

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$3.67 BGN 6.43

16.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$6.11 BGN 10.70

60.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

$0.88 BGN 1.54

80.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$1.12 BGN 1.96

145.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.88 BGN 1.53

-42.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

$25.77 BGN 45.09

6.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$0.61 BGN 1.07

680.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$0.44 BGN 0.77

638.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$10.25 BGN 17.93

-47.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$1.51 BGN 2.65

1.32%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$19.7K BGN 34.5K

7.46%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$24.1K BGN 42.2K

-3.61%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$100 BGN 175

-16.72%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$18.66 BGN 32.65

24.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$8.63 BGN 15.10

219.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$32.49 BGN 56.9

73.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

$17.19 BGN 30.09

63.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$5.52 BGN 9.67

-9.42%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$497 BGN 870

-58.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$5,427 BGN 9,497

-3.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$69.0 BGN 121

-37.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$41.57 BGN 72.8

2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$94.8 BGN 166

-23.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$105 BGN 183

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$215 BGN 377

362.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$159 BGN 278

140.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$397 BGN 694

322.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$301 BGN 528

258.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

$1,320 BGN 2,310

196.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

$1,092 BGN 1,912

461.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$992 BGN 1,736

-16.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.1

269.35%

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 Montana: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Montana

$159 18.9% 58.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Montana

$200 23.9% 22.2% $57

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Montana

$137 16.3% 31.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Montana

$128 15.2% 5% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Montana

$140 16.6% 25.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Montana

$44 5.2% 34.5% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Montana

$32 3.8% 36.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $215 in Montana. 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 19% higher in Montana, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $36 in Montana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $200 – making Montana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇬 Montana

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

16:55 4:55 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,502

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Montana 9,970 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Montana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,258 in Montana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $215 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Montana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $497 in Montana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montana, where all-in costs run around $838, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Montana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen 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 $838 in Montana to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Montana is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.