Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Samokov

For one person, living is cheaper in Samokov: $1,052 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Samokov
Learn more

Samokov Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Samokov

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,052

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,052 in Samokov, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Samokov $1,052

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,641 in Samokov, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Samokov $1,641

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,229 in Samokov, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Samokov $2,229

Playa del Carmen costs about 14% more than Samokov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Samokov are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Samokov 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$9.18 BGN 16.06

16.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$45.91 BGN 80.3

-4.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$9.87 BGN 17.27

19.45%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.78 BGN 4.87

36.33%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.75 BGN 3.06

-25.71%

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

$2.58 BGN 4.52

22.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$4.29 BGN 7.50

14.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.74 BGN 3.05

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.18 BGN 2.06

86.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-34.38%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$3.77 BGN 6.59

-33.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$11.31 BGN 19.80

-35.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$8.18 BGN 14.32

-2.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$14.13 BGN 24.73

-8.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.63 BGN 2.86

77.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.81 BGN 3.17

-23.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.97 BGN 3.45

26.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$2.62 BGN 4.59

-22.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.09 BGN 1.90

85.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.05 BGN 1.83

80.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$1.16 BGN 2.04

-1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.76 BGN 1.32

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$3.95 BGN 6.91

8.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$6.34 BGN 11.09

54.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.18 BGN 2.06

34.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.10 BGN 3.67

30.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-38.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$25.19 BGN 44.08

8.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.25 BGN 2.18

280.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.65 BGN 1.13

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$10.19 BGN 17.84

-47.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.76 BGN 3.08

-13.07%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

-28.50%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$24.2K BGN 42.4K

-3.88%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$113 BGN 198

-26.19%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$18.76 BGN 32.83

23.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$15.53 BGN 27.17

77.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$31.44 BGN 55.0

79.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$16.62 BGN 29.09

69.61%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$9.17 BGN 16.04

-45.47%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$510 BGN 892

-59.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$5,364 BGN 9,387

-2.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$68.8 BGN 120

-36.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$42.35 BGN 74.1

0.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$95.1 BGN 166

-23.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$105 BGN 183

-15.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$337 BGN 590

195.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$259 BGN 453

47.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$549 BGN 961

204.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$404 BGN 707

167.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,301 BGN 2,277

200.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,113 BGN 1,949

451.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$728 BGN 1,275

14.26%

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 Samokov: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Samokov

$259 24.6% 32.4% $124

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Samokov

$252 24% 2% $5.1

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Samokov

$171 16.3% 14.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Samokov

$147 14% 9.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Samokov

$140 13.3% 25.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Samokov

$50 4.7% 25.1% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Samokov

$33 3.1% 34.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $337 in Samokov. 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 14% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $46 in Samokov. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $252 in Samokov – so Samokov wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇬 Samokov

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

14:55 2:55 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

25,138

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Samokov 10,050 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Samokov

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 Samokov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 14%, 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 $1,578 in Samokov. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samokov, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,052 in Samokov. That makes Samokov about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $510 in Samokov. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,052 in Samokov. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,052 in Samokov to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Samokov. 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.