Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Paszto

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,347 in Paszto, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Paszto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Paszto
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,347
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,347 in Paszto.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Paszto $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,021 in Paszto.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Paszto $2,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,695 in Paszto.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Paszto $2,695

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 10% less than in Paszto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Paszto is 0% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Paszto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$198
$11.57 Ft 3,729
-7.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$792
$61.7 Ft 19.9K
-30.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$217
$9.02 Ft 2,908
30.71%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.1
$2.44 Ft 788
58.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.18
$1.31 Ft 421
4.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.38
$1.23 Ft 395
-31.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.0
$1.66 Ft 535
86.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.2
$2.23 Ft 718
127.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Paszto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.43
$1.21 Ft 390
19.01%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.05
$1.58 Ft 510
41.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.05
$2.39 Ft 771
-38.49%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.51
$3.35 Ft 1,078
-24.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$134
$10.50 Ft 3,386
-30.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$6.81 Ft 2,195
15.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$235
$16.46 Ft 5,306
-22.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.4
$2.50 Ft 804
16.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.41
$2.30 Ft 740
-37.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$46.87
$2.54 Ft 818
0.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$37.86
$3.87 Ft 1,247
-46.77%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.81
$1.12 Ft 363
78.57%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$36.91
$1.35 Ft 435
48.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$21.92
$1.78 Ft 575
-33.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.12
$0.58 Ft 187
117.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.0
$8.92 Ft 2,876
-50.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$176
$4.73 Ft 1,524
102.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.29
$1.38 Ft 444
15.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.7
$2.51 Ft 808
11.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Paszto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.42
$1.07 Ft 343
-46.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$512
$23.46 Ft 7,561
18.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$91.7
$3.40 Ft 1,096
46.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.4
$1.43 Ft 460
144.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.4
$24.24 Ft 7,812
-77.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$26.96
$1.81 Ft 585
-18.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$386.1K
$30.5K Ft 9.8M
-31.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$439.9K
$36.0K Ft 11.6M
-33.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Paszto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,549
$166 Ft 53.5K
-49.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$441
$21.09 Ft 6,799
13.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$534
$21.02 Ft 6,776
38.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Paszto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,159
$52.4 Ft 16.9K
20.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$536
$19.69 Ft 6,347
47.99%
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$90.9
$8.93 Ft 2,878
-44.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Paszto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,746
$433 Ft 139.5K
-52.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.5K
$7,625 Ft 2.5M
-48.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Paszto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$802
$102 Ft 33.0K
-57.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$793
$51.2 Ft 16.5K
-15.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,394
$96.7 Ft 31.2K
-21.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,630
$110 Ft 35.3K
-19.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Paszto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$546 Ft 176.0K
84.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,881
$433 Ft 139.7K
-13.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.4K
$660 Ft 212.8K
158.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$584 Ft 188.3K
89.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.6K
$2,765 Ft 891.2K
42.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$113.5K
$2,444 Ft 787.7K
152.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Paszto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
$736 Ft 237.2K
2.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
8
43.12%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Paszto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Paszto
$433 15.9% $59
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Paszto
$263 1.8% $4.6
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Paszto
$172 15% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Paszto
$208 51.7% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Paszto
$162 43.4% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Paszto
$70 3.6% $2.7
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Paszto
$38 27.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $546 in Paszto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $62.0 in Paszto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $263 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇭🇺 Paszto
🕒 Local time
13:31 1:31 PM
20:31 8:31 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
9,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 18.4 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Paszto 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Paszto

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 Paszto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Paszto?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Paszto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Playa del Carmen or in Paszto?
Average pay runs 3% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Paszto?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $546 in Paszto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Paszto?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $62.0 in Paszto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Paszto?
All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,347 in Paszto – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Paszto?
At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,347 in Paszto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Paszto. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Paszto?
Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.
How safe is Playa del Carmen compared to Paszto?
Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Paszto are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Paszto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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