Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Onesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Onesti: $1,042 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
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Onesti Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,042 in Onesti, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Onesti $1,042

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,597 in Onesti, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Onesti $1,597

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,153 in Onesti, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Onesti $2,153

Playa del Carmen costs about 15% more than Onesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Onesti are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Onesti 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$10.35 RON 49.15

3.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$41.83 RON 199

4.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.13 RON 33.85

65.36%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.97 RON 14.10

27.61%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.20 RON 10.46

-40.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.78 RON 8.45

-53.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.16 RON 15.02

-0.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.72 RON 17.67

32.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.04 RON 4.92

35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.34 RON 6.37

64.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.92 RON 9.14

-23.44%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$2.94 RON 13.95

-14.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.46 RON 35.42

-2.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.56 RON 31.15

21.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$10.11 RON 48.02

27.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.03 RON 4.90

181.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.45 RON 6.88

-4.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$1.68 RON 7.99

48.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$2.06 RON 9.80

-1.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$0.80 RON 3.80

152.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.82 RON 3.89

131.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.12 RON 5.31

1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.61 RON 2.88

103.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$6.32 RON 30.02

-32.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$5.34 RON 25.36

83.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.34 RON 6.34

18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.14 RON 10.14

28.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.70 RON 3.30

-27.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$22.70 RON 108

20.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.80 RON 3.81

495.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.88 RON 4.16

269.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.57 RON 40.70

-37.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.43 RON 6.80

6.99%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$28.5K RON 135.5K

-25.64%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$26.1K RON 124.0K

-10.89%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$186 RON 881

-55.01%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$7.43 RON 35.27

212.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$8.70 RON 41.30

217.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$36.79 RON 175

53.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$20.40 RON 96.9

38.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$8.50 RON 40.37

-41.18%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$389 RON 1,847

-46.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$7,819 RON 37.1K

-33.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$37.62 RON 179

15.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$39.20 RON 186

8.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$94.7 RON 450

-23.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$91.9 RON 437

-3.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$406 RON 1,929

144.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$261 RON 1,241

46.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$653 RON 3,099

156.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$464 RON 2,201

133.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,929 RON 9,161

102.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,329 RON 6,308

361.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$634 RON 3,012

31.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.18

59.47%

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 Onesti: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Onesti

$261 25.1% 31.7% $121

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Onesti

$197 18.9% 23.4% $60

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Onesti

$179 17.2% 10.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Onesti

$202 19.4% 50.2% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Onesti

$119 11.4% 6.6% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Onesti

$54 5.2% 19% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Onesti

$31 2.9% 39.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $406 in Onesti. 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 31% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $42 in Onesti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $197 – making Onesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Onesti

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

23:27 11:27 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

57,333

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 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 4, 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.211 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 Onesti 10,050 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Onesti

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 Onesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 15% more than Onesti, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,563 in Onesti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Onesti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $42 in Onesti. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,042 in Onesti. That makes Onesti about 13% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,042 in Onesti. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,042 in Onesti to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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