Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Popovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Popovo: $916 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Popovo
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Popovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Popovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $916 in Popovo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Popovo $916

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,382 in Popovo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Popovo $1,382

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,848 in Popovo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Popovo $1,848

Playa del Carmen costs about 31% more than Popovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Popovo are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Popovo 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$8.60 BGN 15.04

24.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$28.66 BGN 50.2

52.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$6.72 BGN 11.76

75.45%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.12 BGN 1.96

238.39%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.77 BGN 1.36

68.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-45.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.52 BGN 4.41

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$4.20 BGN 7.34

17.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.52 BGN 2.65

-7.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.03 BGN 1.81

113.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$2.22 BGN 3.89

-33.78%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.56 BGN 4.49

-2.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$6.97 BGN 12.20

4.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$8.01 BGN 14.02

-0.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$14.19 BGN 24.83

-9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.47 BGN 2.56

97.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.45 BGN 2.54

-4.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.41 BGN 2.46

76.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$2.21 BGN 3.87

-8.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.06 BGN 1.85

90.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.05 BGN 1.84

80.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$1.22 BGN 2.14

-6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.70 BGN 1.23

77.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$4.05 BGN 7.08

5.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$6.31 BGN 11.05

55.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$0.88 BGN 1.55

80.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.03 BGN 3.56

35.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.90 BGN 1.57

-43.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$25.79 BGN 45.13

6.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.55 BGN 0.96

765.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.54 BGN 0.95

501.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$7.90 BGN 13.82

-31.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-1.92%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$28.0K BGN 49.0K

-24.22%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$21.6K BGN 37.9K

7.55%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$113 BGN 197

-25.92%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$18.10 BGN 31.67

28.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$15.58 BGN 27.26

77.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$19.80 BGN 34.65

185.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$17.16 BGN 30.03

64.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$6.12 BGN 10.71

-18.30%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$509 BGN 892

-59.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$5,443 BGN 9,526

-3.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$50.6 BGN 88.6

-14.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$39.95 BGN 69.9

6.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$67.5 BGN 118

7.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$45.19 BGN 79.1

95.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$338 BGN 591

194.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$260 BGN 455

47.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$554 BGN 970

202.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$403 BGN 705

168.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,323 BGN 2,314

195.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,083 BGN 1,896

466.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$1,266 BGN 2,215

-34.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.1

269.35%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Popovo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Popovo

$260 28.4% 32% $123

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Popovo

$221 24.1% 14.3% $37

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Popovo

$133 14.5% 33.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Popovo

$146 16% 9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Popovo

$91 10% 17.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Popovo

$32 3.5% 51.8% $34

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Popovo

$33 3.6% 35.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $338 in Popovo. 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 52% higher in Popovo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $29 in Popovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $221 – making Popovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇬 Popovo

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

15:16 3:16 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,878

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Popovo 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Popovo

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 Popovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,373 in Popovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Popovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $338 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $916 in Popovo. That makes Popovo about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Popovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $916 in Popovo to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Popovo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 24% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.