Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Szczecinek

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,475 in Szczecinek, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Szczecinek outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

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

Cost of Living Index in Szczecinek
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Szczecinek Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Szczecinek

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,475 in Szczecinek, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Szczecinek $1,475

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,128 in Szczecinek, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Szczecinek $2,128

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,780 in Szczecinek, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Szczecinek $2,780

Playa del Carmen is about 18% cheaper than Szczecinek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Szczecinek is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$11.46 zł 45.32

-4.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$43.98 zł 174

-1.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.70 zł 34.38

35.40%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.46 zł 13.66

10.12%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.10 zł 4.33

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.84 zł 3.32

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.07 zł 12.12

3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.44 zł 5.70

242.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.89 zł 3.51

58.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.19 zł 4.70

86.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.35 zł 5.35

5.19%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.48 zł 13.77

-27.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$7.69 zł 30.41

-5.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.10 zł 24.10

26.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$12.92 zł 51.1

-1.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.23 zł 4.84

126.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.12 zł 4.44

22.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.64 zł 6.49

55.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.50 zł 9.90

-15.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.78 zł 3.07

148.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.78 zł 3.09

142.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.27 zł 5.01

-9.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.70 zł 2.77

68.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$5.73 zł 22.65

-24.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.64 zł 30.19

30.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.14 zł 4.52

38.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.42 zł 5.60

88.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.03 zł 4.08

-46.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$30.54 zł 121

-12.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.30 zł 9.08

116.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.04 zł 4.13

220.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$11.32 zł 44.74

-52.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.44 zł 5.69

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$31.1K zł 122.8K

-33.46%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$28.4K zł 112.2K

-17.33%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$295 zł 1,165

-71.23%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$7.67 zł 30.33

205.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$18.39 zł 72.7

55.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$37.56 zł 148

51.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$23.63 zł 93.4

22.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.37 zł 29.14

-30.26%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$205 zł 811

0.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$7,514 zł 29.7K

-47.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$77.6 zł 307

-44.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$37.62 zł 149

10.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$84.3 zł 333

-11.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$109 zł 432

-18.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$541 zł 2,138

81.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$530 zł 2,096

-28.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,031 zł 4,074

65.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$852 zł 3,369

26.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$2,714 zł 10.7K

45.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$2,178 zł 8,611

182.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,255 zł 4,962

-41.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.2

172.62%

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 Szczecinek: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Szczecinek

$530 36% 39.3% $150

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Szczecinek

$206 13.9% 19.3% $49

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Szczecinek

$185 12.6% 8.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Szczecinek

$321 21.7% 134% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Szczecinek

$139 9.4% 24.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Szczecinek

$52 3.5% 22.3% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Szczecinek

$42 2.9% 16.4% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $541 in Szczecinek. 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 71% higher in Szczecinek. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Szczecinek. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $206 in Szczecinek – so Szczecinek wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇱 Szczecinek

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

02:32 2:32 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

39,705

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 PLN = 0.253 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.95 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Szczecinek 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Szczecinek

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 Szczecinek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Szczecinek is pricier by about 23%, 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 $2,213 in Szczecinek. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szczecinek, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $541 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,475 in Szczecinek. That makes Playa del Carmen about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $205 in Szczecinek. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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 $1,475 in Szczecinek. 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, Szczecinek makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.