Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Podgorica

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,331 in Podgorica, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Podgorica outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,331 in Podgorica, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Podgorica $1,331

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,096 in Podgorica, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Podgorica $2,096

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,860 in Podgorica, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Podgorica $2,860

Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper than Podgorica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Podgorica are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Podgorica 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$11.27 €10.13

-3.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$44.27 €39.78

-2.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$10.56 €9.49

11.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$2.12 €1.91

79.72%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$2.48 €2.23

-48.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$1.45 €1.31

-46.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$3.15 €2.83

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$3.31 €2.98

48.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$1.26 €1.13

11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$0.99 €0.89

124.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$1.99 €1.78

-28.64%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$3.59 €3.22

-29.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.85 €7.95

-17.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$8.08 €7.26

-4.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$12.07 €10.84

5.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$1.63 €1.46

70.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$1.72 €1.54

-20.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$1.80 €1.62

41.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$2.33 €2.09

-9.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$0.95 €0.85

104.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$1.07 €0.96

76.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$1.50 €1.35

-23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$0.83 €0.74

42.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$4.28 €3.85

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$5.72 €5.14

73.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.07 €0.96

47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$1.61 €1.45

65.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$1.03 €0.92

-46.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

$32.90 €29.56

-19.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$0.76 €0.68

553.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$0.81 €0.73

311.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$11.08 €9.95

-51.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.89 €1.70

-23.81%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$28.5K €25.6K

-27.46%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$23.8K €21.3K

-1.24%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$130 €117

-34.98%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$18.48 €16.61

26.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$32.17 €28.90

-10.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$50.2 €45.14

13.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

$13.34 €11.98

116.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$6.61 €5.94

-22.24%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$343 €308

-39.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$7,326 €6,583

-46.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$85.9 €77.2

-49.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$46.72 €41.98

-11.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$98.1 €88.1

-24.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$105 €94.1

-14.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$663 €596

47.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$483 €434

-21.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$1,361 €1,223

25.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$976 €877

10.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

$3,122 €2,805

26.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$2,388 €2,146

157.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,152 €1,035

-36.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.22

119.35%

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 Podgorica: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Podgorica

$483 36.2% 26.7% $102

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Podgorica

$226 17% 11.3% $29

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Podgorica

$186 13.9% 8.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Podgorica

$181 13.6% 32.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Podgorica

$151 11.3% 35.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Podgorica

$63 4.8% 5.7% $3.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Podgorica

$42 3.1% 17.1% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $663 in Podgorica. 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 57% higher in Podgorica. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Podgorica. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $226 in Podgorica – so Podgorica wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

14:20 2:20 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

150,799 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Podgorica 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Podgorica

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 Podgorica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Podgorica is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,997 in Podgorica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Podgorica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $663 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,331 in Podgorica. That’s a gap of about 11%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $343 in Podgorica. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,331 in Podgorica, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,331 in Podgorica. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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