Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ulaanbaatar

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Ulaanbaatar: $1,204 and $1,192 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ulaanbaatar
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Ulaanbaatar Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ulaanbaatar

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ulaanbaatar $1,192

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,911 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ulaanbaatar $1,911

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,630 in Ulaanbaatar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ulaanbaatar $2,630

Playa del Carmen and Ulaanbaatar have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

101.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$31.92 MNT 114.9K

35.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.61 MNT 20.2K

109.98%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.36 MNT 8,497

61.44%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.87 MNT 3,147

47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.58 MNT 2,076

34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.32 MNT 8,334

36.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.40 MNT 12.3K

45.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.42 MNT 5,117

-0.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.99 MNT 3,546

124.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.16 MNT 7,771

-34.26%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.07 MNT 7,452

21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.26 MNT 44.1K

-40.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.75 MNT 17.1K

62.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$6.62 MNT 23.8K

91.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.03 MNT 10.9K

-8.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.35 MNT 8,441

-41.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

-31.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$3.01 MNT 10.8K

-29.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.70 MNT 2,528

177.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.04 MNT 3,728

81.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.72 MNT 6,191

-33.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.79 MNT 2,840

49.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$1.63 MNT 5,876

163.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.41 MNT 37.5K

-4.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.45 MNT 5,208

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.75 MNT 6,316

52.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.27 MNT 959

103.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$16.65 MNT 59.9K

59.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.51 MNT 1,846

874.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.55 MNT 1,989

505.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

-17.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.16 MNT 4,188

24.14%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$27.0K MNT 97.2M

-23.51%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$35.0K MNT 125.9M

-32.93%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$70.8 MNT 254.8K

19.74%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$7.62 MNT 27.4K

207.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$13.84 MNT 49.8K

107.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$68.7 MNT 247.3K

-16.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$18.21 MNT 65.5K

58.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.24 MNT 15.3K

21.23%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$798 MNT 2.9M

-74.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,425 MNT 30.3M

-53.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$83.1 MNT 299.0K

-47.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$44.52 MNT 160.2K

-6.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$102 MNT 367.1K

-27.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$186 MNT 669.4K

-52.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$636 MNT 2.3M

54.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$469 MNT 1.7M

-18.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,633 MNT 5.9M

4.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$985 MNT 3.5M

9.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,751 MNT 6.3M

125.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,016 MNT 3.7M

505.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$589 MNT 2.1M

24.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.32

10.95%

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 Ulaanbaatar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ulaanbaatar

$469 39.4% 23.2% $88

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ulaanbaatar

$233 19.5% 8.7% $22

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ulaanbaatar

$113 9.5% 44.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ulaanbaatar

$92 7.7% 32.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ulaanbaatar

$187 15.7% 67.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ulaanbaatar

$77 6.5% 14.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ulaanbaatar

$21 1.8% 58.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $636 in Ulaanbaatar. 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 25% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $32 in Ulaanbaatar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $233 – making Ulaanbaatar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

09:03 9:03 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,401,200 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, 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 = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,599 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,006 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ulaanbaatar 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ulaanbaatar

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 Ulaanbaatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,788 in Ulaanbaatar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulaanbaatar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $636 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $798 in Ulaanbaatar. 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar. 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 $1,192 in Ulaanbaatar to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ulaanbaatar. 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.