Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Orhei

For one person, living is cheaper in Orhei: $356 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Orhei

🇲🇩 Moldova

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $356 in Orhei.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Orhei $356

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $580 in Orhei.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Orhei $580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $805 in Orhei.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Orhei $805

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 238% more expensive than in Orhei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Orhei 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$11.28 MDL 202

-3.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$21.89 MDL 391

98.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.92 MDL 124

70.23%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.36 MDL 24.30

180.15%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.79 MDL 14.17

62.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.47 MDL 8.37

65.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.13 MDL 20.24

180.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.35 MDL 24.21

265.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.97 MDL 17.35

45.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.32 MDL 5.72

593.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.89 MDL 33.77

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.89 MDL 33.83

-27.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.62 MDL 11.00

212.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.51 MDL 9.18

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.16 MDL 2.85

243.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.14 MDL 20.36

335.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.71 MDL 30.50

-15.79%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$19.9K MDL 356.3K

17.75%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$58.7 MDL 1,050

44.42%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$6.68 MDL 119

250.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$9.96 MDL 178

187.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$3.28 MDL 58.6

56.71%

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

$207 MX$3,851

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$33.31 MDL 596

30.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$32.83 MDL 587

26.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$105 MDL 1,881

-29.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$32.97 MDL 590

170.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Orhei: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Orhei

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Orhei

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Orhei

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Orhei

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Orhei

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Orhei

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Orhei

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $22 in Orhei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $40 per month, with Orhei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇩 Orhei

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,918

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Orhei 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Orhei

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 Orhei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Orhei is about 70% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $534 in Orhei 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 540% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Orhei – a meal for two runs $22 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $356 in Orhei versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Orhei but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Orhei 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.