Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pogradec

For one person, living is cheaper in Pogradec: $820 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Pogradec
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Pogradec Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Pogradec

🇦🇱 Albania

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $820 in Pogradec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Pogradec $820

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,353 in Pogradec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Pogradec $1,353

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,887 in Pogradec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Pogradec $1,887

Playa del Carmen costs about 47% more than Pogradec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Pogradec are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Pogradec 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$9.62 ALL 781

13.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$39.12 ALL 3,177

10.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.30 ALL 593

61.37%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.58 ALL 129

141.14%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.81 ALL 147

-29.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.68 ALL 55.6

14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.49 ALL 121

112.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.66 ALL 216

85.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.97 ALL 160

-28.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.91 ALL 73.8

143.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.05 ALL 167

-30.73%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.28 ALL 186

10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.19 ALL 665

-11.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.36 ALL 354

76.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$14.35 ALL 1,166

-11.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.27 ALL 103

118.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.35 ALL 191

-41.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.50 ALL 122

70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.26 ALL 102

68.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.97 ALL 79.0

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.02 ALL 83.1

85.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.02 ALL 82.6

12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.84 ALL 68.4

40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.28 ALL 348

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.80 ALL 634

27.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.25 ALL 102

26.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.82 ALL 148

46.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.51 ALL 41.08

7.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$18.76 ALL 1,524

41.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.64 ALL 296

36.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.86 ALL 151

79.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$18.50 ALL 1,503

-71.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.28 ALL 185

-36.84%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$33.1K ALL 2.7M

-37.51%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$24.3K ALL 2.0M

-3.49%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$61.3 ALL 4,976

38.39%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$16.66 ALL 1,353

40.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$17.47 ALL 1,419

64.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$36.29 ALL 2,947

57.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$18.73 ALL 1,521

54.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$8.62 ALL 700

-40.37%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$99.8 ALL 8,105

106.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$49.22 ALL 3,998

-11.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$56.0 ALL 4,549

-26.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$96.9 ALL 7,871

-23.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$149 ALL 12.1K

-40.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$185 ALL 15.1K

428.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$126 ALL 10.2K

203.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$366 ALL 29.7K

367.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$251 ALL 20.4K

328.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,626 ALL 132.1K

142.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,499 ALL 121.8K

310.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$478 ALL 38.9K

53.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

129.00%

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 Pogradec: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Pogradec

$126 15.3% 67% $255

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Pogradec

$213 26% 16.4% $42

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Pogradec

$141 17.2% 30.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Pogradec

$95 11.6% 30.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Pogradec

$158 19.3% 41.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Pogradec

$54 6.5% 20.5% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Pogradec

$34 4.1% 33.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $185 in Pogradec. 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 54% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $39 in Pogradec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $213 – making Pogradec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇱 Pogradec

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

05:06 5:06 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,848

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 81.22 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.69 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Pogradec 9,910 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pogradec

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 Pogradec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,230 in Pogradec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pogradec, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $185 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $820 in Pogradec. That makes Pogradec about 32% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Pogradec. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $820 in Pogradec. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Pogradec – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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