Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Soroca

For one person, living is cheaper in Soroca: $391 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Soroca

🇲🇩 Moldova

$391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $391 in Soroca, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Soroca $391

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $634 in Soroca, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Soroca $634

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $876 in Soroca, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Soroca $876

Playa del Carmen costs about 208% more than Soroca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Soroca are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Soroca 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$11.11 MDL 198

-1.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$22.66 MDL 404

91.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.62 MDL 82.4

154.98%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.44 MDL 25.60

164.58%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.76 MDL 13.52

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.43 MDL 7.73

81.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.15 MDL 20.53

175.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.42 MDL 25.29

247.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.03 MDL 18.42

36.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.36 MDL 6.35

516.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.15 MDL 20.45

23.48%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.89 MDL 33.68

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.00 MDL 35.62

-31.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.62 MDL 11.05

212.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.51 MDL 9.05

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.13 MDL 20.21

339.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.75 MDL 31.14

-17.71%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$20.8K MDL 371.7K

12.57%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$59.5 MDL 1,061

42.43%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$8.27 MDL 147

183.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$13.10 MDL 234

118.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$28.54 MDL 509

99.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$3.44 MDL 61.3

49.42%

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

$207 MX$3,848

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$33.45 MDL 596

29.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$33.93 MDL 605

22.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$108 MDL 1,923

-31.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$33.93 MDL 605

163.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$507 MDL 9,048

44.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Soroca: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Soroca

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Soroca

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Soroca

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Soroca

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Soroca

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Soroca

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Soroca

–

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 45% 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $23 in Soroca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $46 – making Soroca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇩 Soroca

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

37,400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Soroca 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Soroca

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 Soroca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 208%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $586 in Soroca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 454% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $23 in Soroca. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Soroca, where all-in costs run around $391, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Soroca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $391 in Soroca to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Soroca. 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.