Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Varazdin

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,286 in Varazdin, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Varazdin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Varazdin, Croatia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Varazdin
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,286
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,286 in Varazdin, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Varazdin $1,286

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,861 in Varazdin, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Varazdin $1,861

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,436 in Varazdin, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Varazdin $2,436

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper than Varazdin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Varazdin are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Varazdin 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Varazdin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$11.03 €9.88
-1.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$62.3 €55.9
-30.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$10.03 €8.98
17.45%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$2.35 €2.10
62.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$2.57 €2.30
-50.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$1.92 €1.72
-59.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$3.95 €3.54
-19.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$3.43 €3.07
43.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Varazdin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.23 €1.10
14.63%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$1.63 €1.46
36.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$2.49 €2.23
-42.97%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$3.47 €3.11
-27.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$5.65 €5.07
28.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$8.59 €7.70
-10.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$14.52 €13.01
-12.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$1.64 €1.47
69.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.70 €1.52
-19.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.82 €1.63
40.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$2.41 €2.16
-12.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.22 €1.09
59.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$1.10 €0.98
71.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$1.09 €0.98
5.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$1.14 €1.02
3.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$5.88 €5.27
-26.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$8.08 €7.24
23.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$0.72 €0.64
119.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$2.19 €1.96
21.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Varazdin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$1.31 €1.17
-58.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$44.60 €39.97
-40.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$3.46 €3.10
43.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.44 €1.29
131.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$13.26 €11.88
-59.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.68 €1.50
-14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$28.1K €25.2K
-26.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$24.3K €21.8K
-3.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Varazdin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$150 €135
-43.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$14.09 €12.63
66.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$30.82 €27.62
-7.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Varazdin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$42.94 €38.48
32.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$13.12 €11.76
120.35%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$9.12 €8.18
-43.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Varazdin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$150 €135
37.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$13.1K €11.7K
-69.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Varazdin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$72.2 €64.7
-39.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$33.04 €29.61
25.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$62.5 €56.0
18.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$73.6 €66.0
21.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Varazdin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$571 €511
71.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$428 €383
-10.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$865 €775
97.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$471 €422
128.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$3,129 €2,804
26.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$2,476 €2,219
148.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Varazdin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$1,353 €1,213
-45.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.73
206.97%

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 Varazdin: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Varazdin
$428 12.3% $47
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Varazdin
$242 5.2% $13
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Varazdin
$191 5.6% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Varazdin
$195 42.7% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Varazdin
$109 2.8% $3.1
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Varazdin
$61 9.1% $6.1
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Varazdin
$61 19.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $571 in Varazdin. 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 84% higher in Varazdin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $62 in Varazdin. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $242 in Varazdin – so Varazdin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇭🇷 Varazdin
🕒 Local time
01:12 1:12 AM
07:12 7:12 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
43,782
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Varazdin 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Varazdin

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 Varazdin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Varazdin?
Yes – Varazdin is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,929 in Varazdin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Varazdin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $571 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Varazdin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,286 in Varazdin. That makes Playa del Carmen about 6% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 40% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Varazdin?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,286 in Varazdin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Varazdin?
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 $1,286 in Varazdin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Varazdin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?