Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Petrinja

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,598 in Petrinja, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Petrinja
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Petrinja Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Petrinja

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,598 in Petrinja.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Petrinja $1,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,481 in Petrinja.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Petrinja $2,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,363 in Petrinja.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Petrinja $3,363

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 25% less than in Petrinja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Petrinja is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$17.62 €15.68

-38.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$78.3 €69.6

-43.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.73 €6.87

52.13%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.39 €3.01

8.55%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$4.07 €3.62

-67.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$3.07 €2.73

-73.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$5.55 €4.94

-44.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.41 €3.92

12.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.17 €1.04

25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.65 €1.47

34.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.06 €2.72

-51.63%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$4.84 €4.31

-48.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$15.42 €13.71

-51.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.61 €8.55

-17.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$12.09 €10.76

3.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.97 €1.75

41.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.52 €1.36

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.08 €1.85

25.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.68 €2.38

-20.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.21 €1.96

-8.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.11 €1.87

-5.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.60 €1.42

-28.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.63 €1.45

-26.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$5.64 €5.01

-24.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$7.71 €6.86

29.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.37 €1.21

12.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.47 €1.31

80.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.69 €1.50

-68.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$44.95 €39.98

-38.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.40 €3.02

44.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.42 €1.26

141.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$13.08 €11.64

-58.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.86 €1.65

-22.04%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$26.6K €23.6K

-20.41%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$24.9K €22.1K

-7.42%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$178 €158

-51.98%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$27.27 €24.26

-13.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$42.81 €38.08

-33.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$52.7 €46.86

18.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$15.63 €13.91

83.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$8.76 €7.79

-41.78%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$411 €365

-51.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$6,828 €6,074

-42.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$90.2 €80.2

-50.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$44.32 €39.42

-6.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$105 €93.5

-30.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$77.4 €68.9

15.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$672 €598

45.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$512 €455

-27.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,181 €1,050

42.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$872 €775

25.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,154 €3,695

-4.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,900 €2,579

111.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.72

207.80%

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 Petrinja: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Petrinja

$512 32.1% 37.4% $139

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Petrinja

$293 18.3% 13.4% $35

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Petrinja

$270 16.9% 34.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Petrinja

$248 15.5% 80.6% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Petrinja

$143 8.9% 27.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Petrinja

$70 4.4% 3% $2.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Petrinja

$62 3.9% 20.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $672 in Petrinja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $78.0 in Petrinja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $293 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇭🇷 Petrinja

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

17:37 5:37 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,950

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Petrinja 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Petrinja

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 Petrinja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Petrinja differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $1,598 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $2,397 in Petrinja 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $672 in Petrinja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 63% less than in Petrinja. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $411 in Petrinja. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,598 in Petrinja, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Petrinja. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Petrinja are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Petrinja. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.