Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rijeka

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,588 in Rijeka, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Rijeka, Croatia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Rijeka
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,588
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,588 in Rijeka, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Rijeka $1,588

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,430 in Rijeka, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Rijeka $2,430

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,272 in Rijeka, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Rijeka $3,272

Playa del Carmen is about 24% cheaper than Rijeka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Rijeka is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Rijeka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$13.58 €12.17
-19.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$71.9 €64.4
-39.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$9.95 €8.92
18.39%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$2.26 €2.02
68.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$3.11 €2.79
-58.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$1.88 €1.68
-58.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$3.75 €3.36
-15.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$4.54 €4.07
8.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Rijeka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.20 €1.08
17.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$1.54 €1.38
44.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$3.44 €3.08
-58.72%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$3.65 €3.27
-30.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$15.79 €14.15
-54.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$10.15 €9.10
-24.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$14.20 €12.73
-10.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$1.64 €1.47
69.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.74 €1.56
-21.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.88 €1.69
35.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$2.55 €2.29
-16.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.33 €1.19
45.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$1.27 €1.14
48.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$1.36 €1.22
-15.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$1.37 €1.23
-13.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$5.88 €5.27
-26.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$7.83 €7.02
27.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.64 €1.47
-3.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$2.09 €1.87
27.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Rijeka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$2.75 €2.47
-80.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$53.8 €48.25
-50.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$5.57 €4.99
-10.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.43 €1.28
132.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$27.85 €24.96
-80.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.87 €1.68
-22.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$28.1K €25.2K
-26.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$24.9K €22.3K
-5.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Rijeka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$188 €168
-54.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$24.20 €21.69
-3.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$39.87 €35.73
-28.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Rijeka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$52.3 €46.83
9.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$11.00 €9.86
162.82%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$10.34 €9.26
-50.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Rijeka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$553 €495
-62.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$12.8K €11.5K
-69.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Rijeka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$97.2 €87.1
-55.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$41.16 €36.88
0.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$101 €90.9
-26.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$108 €96.9
-17.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Rijeka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$681 €610
43.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$523 €469
-27.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,198 €1,074
42.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$869 €779
23.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$4,001 €3,585
-1.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$3,809 €3,414
61.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Rijeka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$1,473 €1,320
-50.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.73
206.97%

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 Rijeka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Rijeka
$523 37.4% $143
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Rijeka
$292 14.6% $37
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Rijeka
$213 5.4% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Rijeka
$252 83.9% $115
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Rijeka
$157 40.2% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Rijeka
$73 8.3% $5.6
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Rijeka
$78 53.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $681 in Rijeka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Rijeka are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $72 in Rijeka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $292 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇭🇷 Rijeka
🕒 Local time
03:06 3:06 AM
09:06 9:06 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
107,964
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Rijeka 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Rijeka

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 Rijeka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Rijeka?
Yes – Rijeka is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,381 in Rijeka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Rijeka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $681 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Rijeka?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,588 in Rijeka. That makes Playa del Carmen about 24% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 51% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Rijeka?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Rijeka at $1,588. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rijeka it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Rijeka?
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 $1,588 in Rijeka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rijeka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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