Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Suwalki

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,491 in Suwalki, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Suwalki outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Suwalki
Learn more

Suwalki Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Suwalki

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,491 in Suwalki, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Suwalki $1,491

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,038 in Suwalki, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Suwalki $2,038

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,585 in Suwalki, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Suwalki $2,585

Playa del Carmen is about 19% cheaper than Suwalki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Suwalki is 10% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$5.18 zł 20.24

105.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$20.65 zł 80.7

112.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.94 zł 34.92

31.88%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.29 zł 12.85

15.20%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.92 zł 3.61

41.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$2.19 zł 8.55

-62.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$4.52 zł 17.67

-30.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.96 zł 19.38

-0.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.97 zł 3.78

45.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.87 zł 3.40

152.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.10 zł 4.30

33.64%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$2.66 zł 10.40

-6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.80 zł 30.48

-6.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.21 zł 20.36

52.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.37 zł 24.90

101.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$0.73 zł 2.86

297.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.68 zł 6.56

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$1.67 zł 6.53

49.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$4.03 zł 15.76

-49.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$0.53 zł 2.06

281.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.91 zł 3.55

108.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.12 zł 4.39

1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.37 zł 1.43

235.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$6.24 zł 24.40

-31.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$6.43 zł 25.13

52.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.14 zł 4.45

39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.72 zł 6.73

59.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.04 zł 4.06

-50.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$30.22 zł 118

-9.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.60 zł 10.17

83.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.25 zł 4.89

160.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$12.48 zł 48.76

-56.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.70 zł 6.64

-10.00%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$30.0K zł 117.3K

-29.30%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$29.9K zł 116.8K

-22.16%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$346 zł 1,352

-75.86%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$8.97 zł 35.07

158.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$15.78 zł 61.7

74.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$38.42 zł 150

46.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$21.85 zł 85.4

29.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$9.05 zł 35.36

-44.75%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$595 zł 2,323

-65.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$14.6K zł 57.1K

-64.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$107 zł 419

-59.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$38.72 zł 151

9.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$105 zł 410

-30.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$113 zł 442

-21.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$592 zł 2,315

67.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$528 zł 2,062

-27.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$969 zł 3,787

72.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$811 zł 3,170

33.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,953 zł 11.5K

32.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,184 zł 8,537

180.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$1,446 zł 5,652

-42.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.69

71.15%

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 Suwalki: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Suwalki

$528 35.4% 38% $145

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Suwalki

$177 11.9% 31.3% $81

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Suwalki

$153 10.2% 23.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Suwalki

$371 24.9% 176% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Suwalki

$164 11% 47.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Suwalki

$57 3.8% 14.9% $9.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Suwalki

$43 2.9% 14.3% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $592 in Suwalki. 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 74% higher in Suwalki. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $21 in Suwalki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $177 – making Suwalki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇱 Suwalki

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

69,575

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Suwalki 9,380 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Suwalki

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 Suwalki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Suwalki is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,237 in Suwalki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suwalki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $592 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,491 in Suwalki. That makes Playa del Carmen about 19% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,491 in Suwalki. 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, Suwalki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.