Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sarande

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,300 in Sarande, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Sarande
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Sarande Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sarande

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,300 in Sarande, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sarande $1,300

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,195 in Sarande, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sarande $2,195

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,090 in Sarande, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sarande $3,090

Playa del Carmen is about 7% cheaper than Sarande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sarande are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Sarande 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$10.10 ALL 821

8.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$55.1 ALL 4,477

-21.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$11.03 ALL 896

6.80%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.24 ALL 182

70.09%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.36 ALL 191

-45.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.17 ALL 95.0

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.52 ALL 286

-9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.97 ALL 323

24.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.24 ALL 182

-37.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.19 ALL 96.8

86.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.36 ALL 192

-39.83%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.65 ALL 297

-30.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$12.98 ALL 1,054

-44.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.34 ALL 759

-17.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$17.37 ALL 1,410

-26.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.94 ALL 158

43.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.47 ALL 201

-44.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.09 ALL 170

22.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.90 ALL 154

11.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.02 ALL 82.7

90.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.26 ALL 102

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.47 ALL 119

-21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.74 ALL 60.1

59.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.68 ALL 380

-8.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.56 ALL 614

31.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.55 ALL 126

1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.07 ALL 168

28.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.10 ALL 89.6

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$22.09 ALL 1,794

20.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.60 ALL 292

38.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$3.62 ALL 294

-8.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$18.27 ALL 1,484

-70.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.19 ALL 178

-34.25%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$33.5K ALL 2.7M

-38.36%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$28.1K ALL 2.3M

-16.45%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$99.8 ALL 8,107

-15.05%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$18.16 ALL 1,475

28.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$19.69 ALL 1,599

45.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$89.8 ALL 7,296

-36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$40.07 ALL 3,255

-27.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$10.07 ALL 818

-48.96%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$302 ALL 24.5K

-31.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$7,994 ALL 649.3K

-50.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$72.5 ALL 5,885

-40.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$48.39 ALL 3,930

-14.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$118 ALL 9,562

-36.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$113 ALL 9,138

-20.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$835 ALL 67.8K

17.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$380 ALL 30.9K

0.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,086 ALL 88.2K

57.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$917 ALL 74.5K

17.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$4,581 ALL 372.0K

-13.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$2,902 ALL 235.7K

112.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$770 ALL 62.5K

-4.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.16

121.90%

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 Sarande: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sarande

$380 29.2% 0.2% $0.9

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sarande

$286 22% 12.2% $31

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sarande

$180 13.9% 10.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sarande

$138 10.6% 0.6% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sarande

$158 12.2% 41.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sarande

$110 8.5% 63.4% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sarande

$48 3.7% 4.5% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $835 in Sarande. 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 5% higher in Sarande, 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $55 in Sarande. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $286 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇱 Sarande

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

06:26 6:26 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,233

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sarande

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 Sarande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sarande is pricier by about 8%, 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 $1,950 in Sarande. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarande, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $835 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,300 in Sarande. That makes Playa del Carmen about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Sarande. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,300 in Sarande, 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 $1,300 in Sarande. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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