Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ulyanovsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $954 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Ulyanovsk
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Ulyanovsk Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ulyanovsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $954 in Ulyanovsk, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ulyanovsk $954

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,464 in Ulyanovsk, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ulyanovsk $1,464

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,975 in Ulyanovsk, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ulyanovsk $1,975

Playa del Carmen costs about 26% more than Ulyanovsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ulyanovsk are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ulyanovsk 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$8.53 ₽687

28.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$31.09 ₽2,504

39.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.57 ₽529

79.30%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.30 ₽185

65.65%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.89 ₽71.9

43.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.36 ₽29.31

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.87 ₽151

69.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.92 ₽154

156.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.07 ₽86.2

31.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.61 ₽48.87

263.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.07 ₽85.9

32.71%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.47 ₽118

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$14.95 ₽1,204

-51.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$7.51 ₽605

2.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.56 ₽609

67.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.57 ₽126

77.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.64 ₽132

-16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$4.11 ₽331

-37.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$5.02 ₽404

-57.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.49 ₽120

30.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.80 ₽64.2

136.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.58 ₽46.66

103.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.02 ₽243

42.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.13 ₽90.9

39.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.48 ₽38.50

14.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$29.80 ₽2,400

-10.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.73 ₽301

33.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$3.77 ₽304

42.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.88 ₽70.5

63.64%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$54.8K ₽4.4M

-62.28%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$42.1K ₽3.4M

-44.22%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$146 ₽11.8K

-42.01%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$4.97 ₽400

371.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$14.51 ₽1,168

97.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$37.11 ₽2,989

53.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$24.68 ₽1,987

17.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$8.73 ₽703

-41.12%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$31.46 ₽2,534

37.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$36.52 ₽2,941

13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$98.6 ₽7,941

-24.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$61.8 ₽4,974

44.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$373 ₽30.1K

162.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$251 ₽20.3K

51.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$491 ₽39.6K

247.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$439 ₽35.4K

144.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$2,713 ₽218.5K

45.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,571 ₽126.5K

291.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$517 ₽41.6K

42.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-50.22%

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 Ulyanovsk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ulyanovsk

$251 26.4% 34% $129

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ulyanovsk

$210 * 22% 17.6% $45

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ulyanovsk

$134 14% 33.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ulyanovsk

$166 17.4% 21.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ulyanovsk

$103 10.8% 8% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ulyanovsk

$55 5.7% 18.9% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ulyanovsk

$35 * 3.7% 29.7% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $373 in Ulyanovsk. 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 42% 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 $31 in Ulyanovsk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $210 – making Ulyanovsk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

13:23 1:23 PM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

627,705

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ulyanovsk 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ulyanovsk

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 Ulyanovsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,430 in Ulyanovsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulyanovsk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $373 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $954 in Ulyanovsk. That makes Ulyanovsk about 21% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $31 in Ulyanovsk. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $954 in Ulyanovsk. 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 $954 in Ulyanovsk to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ulyanovsk. 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.