Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ungheni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $647 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
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Ungheni Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $647 in Ungheni, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ungheni $647

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,013 in Ungheni, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ungheni $1,013

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,378 in Ungheni, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ungheni $1,378

Playa del Carmen costs about 86% more than Ungheni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ungheni are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ungheni 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$7.17 MDL 128

52.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$22.35 MDL 399

94.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.60 MDL 118

78.48%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$1.36 MDL 24.36

180.15%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$0.70 MDL 12.54

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$0.47 MDL 8.43

65.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$0.97 MDL 17.38

226.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$1.35 MDL 24.10

265.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$1.72 MDL 30.70

-18.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$0.32 MDL 5.63

593.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$0.87 MDL 15.49

63.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$1.93 MDL 34.45

30.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.92 MDL 177

-26.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.99 MDL 71.3

92.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$8.41 MDL 150

50.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$0.43 MDL 7.70

546.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$1.21 MDL 21.68

13.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$1.04 MDL 18.49

145.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$1.14 MDL 20.32

85.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$0.43 MDL 7.75

351.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$0.32 MDL 5.67

490.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$2.21 MDL 39.46

-47.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$0.82 MDL 14.57

43.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$3.29 MDL 58.8

30.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$4.30 MDL 76.8

131.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.38 MDL 24.55

14.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$1.71 MDL 30.61

56.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$0.34 MDL 6.12

61.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$1.65 MDL 29.43

201.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$0.40 MDL 7.18

732.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$3.53 MDL 63.1

51.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.41 MDL 25.21

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$20.2K MDL 360.0K

16.34%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$139 MDL 2,478

-38.93%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$11.09 MDL 198

111.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$15.86 MDL 283

80.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$13.86 MDL 247

311.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$3.86 MDL 68.8

33.16%

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

$207 MX$3,860

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$47.75 MDL 852

-9.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$16.92 MDL 302

144.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$33.66 MDL 601

120.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$66.5 MDL 1,187

34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$254 MDL 4,534

285.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$109 MDL 1,951

248.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$329 MDL 5,867

419.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$276 MDL 4,931

289.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

$2,220 MDL 39.6K

77.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$1,644 MDL 29.3K

274.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$566 MDL 10.1K

29.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

43.12%

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 Ungheni: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ungheni

$109 16.9% 71.3% $272

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ungheni

$165 25.5% 35.1% $90

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ungheni

$106 16.4% 47.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ungheni

$166 25.6% 21.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ungheni

$74 11.5% 33.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ungheni

$22 3.3% 68% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ungheni

$5 * 0.8% 90% $45

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 $254 in Ungheni. 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 30% 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 $22 in Ungheni. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $165 – making Ungheni the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

13:59 1:59 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

38,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MDL = 5.6 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.85 MDL (100 MDL = 5.6 USD). 1 EUR = 19.87 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ungheni 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ungheni

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 Ungheni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 86%, 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 $970 in Ungheni. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ungheni, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $22 in Ungheni. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ungheni, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ungheni 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 $647 in Ungheni to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ungheni. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.