Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Penza

For one person, living is cheaper in Penza: $782 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Penza
Learn more

Penza Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Penza

🇷🇺 Russia

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $782 in Penza, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Penza $782

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,236 in Penza, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Penza $1,236

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,690 in Penza, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Penza $1,690

Playa del Carmen costs about 54% more than Penza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Penza are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Penza 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$8.31 ₽694

30.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$36.30 ₽3,030

21.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.79 ₽650

50.96%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.50 ₽292

5.14%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.05 ₽87.3

27.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.69 ₽57.4

18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.26 ₽189

35.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.79 ₽233

77.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.00 ₽83.5

47.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.46 ₽38.64

382.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.48 ₽124

68.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.45 ₽1,122

-44.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.14 ₽346

92.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.86 ₽72.0

39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.60 ₽217

63.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.11 ₽760

9.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.05 ₽87.3

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.49 ₽208

6.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.37 ₽31.07

43.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.50 ₽209

96.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.25 ₽21.02

1272.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$14.48 ₽1,209

-62.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.83 ₽69.3

74.70%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$36.8K ₽3.1M

-42.43%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$42.6K ₽3.6M

-46.01%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$83.6 ₽6,974

2.15%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$6.63 ₽554

253.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$11.10 ₽926

156.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$81.7 ₽6,822

-23.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.29 ₽525

-18.92%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$357 ₽29.8K

-43.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$163 ₽13.6K

-72.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$73.8 ₽6,163

-44.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$335 ₽28.0K

191.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$199 ₽16.6K

87.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$481 ₽40.1K

249.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$393 ₽32.8K

178.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,254 ₽188.1K

75.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,073 ₽89.5K

472.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$595 ₽49.6K

24.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-52.29%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Penza: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Penza

$199 25.4% 46.7% $174

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Penza

$120 * 15.4% 53.4% $138

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Penza

$156 19.9% 22.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Penza

$101 13% 26.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Penza

$106 * 13.6% 4.7% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Penza

$94 12.1% 30.3% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Penza

$5.3 * 0.7% 89.8% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $335 in Penza. 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 24% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $36.00 in Penza. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $120 – making Penza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇺 Penza

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

14:39 2:39 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

509,513

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Penza 10,610 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Penza

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 Penza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $782 in Penza – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,173 in Penza. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Penza, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $782 in Penza. That's a gap of about 54%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $357 in Penza. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Penza, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Penza 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 $782 in Penza to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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