Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,408 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,408 in Varna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Varna $1,408

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,217 in Varna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Varna $2,217

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,026 in Varna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Varna $3,026

Playa del Carmen is about 14% cheaper than Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Varna is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$12.46 BGN 21.81

-12.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$59.9 BGN 105

-27.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.16 BGN 17.77

15.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.87 BGN 5.02

32.75%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.89 BGN 3.31

-32.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.62 BGN 2.83

-51.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.81 BGN 4.91

12.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.50 BGN 6.12

40.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-26.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.24 BGN 2.17

79.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.58 BGN 4.52

-44.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.53 BGN 6.17

-28.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.53 BGN 20.18

-37.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.28 BGN 16.25

-17.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.97 BGN 24.46

-9.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.90 BGN 3.33

46.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.16 BGN 3.79

-36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.12 BGN 3.72

20.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$3.00 BGN 5.25

-29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.30 BGN 2.28

49.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.04 BGN 1.82

81.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.05 BGN 1.84

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.78 BGN 1.36

51.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$4.03 BGN 7.04

6.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.90 BGN 15.57

11.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.17 BGN 2.05

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.80 BGN 3.15

48.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.13 BGN 1.98

-51.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$28.11 BGN 49.19

-5.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.56 BGN 2.74

218.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.88 BGN 1.55

278.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$12.19 BGN 21.34

-56.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.74 BGN 3.05

-17.24%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$29.6K BGN 51.7K

-30.07%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$24.7K BGN 43.3K

-5.17%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$176 BGN 308

-51.84%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$20.41 BGN 35.71

14.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$15.68 BGN 27.43

82.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$51.4 BGN 90.0

10.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$19.47 BGN 34.07

48.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$9.06 BGN 15.86

-43.27%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$498 BGN 872

-58.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$6,292 BGN 11.0K

-37.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$65.3 BGN 114

-33.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$33.01 BGN 57.8

25.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$102 BGN 179

-27.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$99.7 BGN 174

-10.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$640 BGN 1,120

53.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$482 BGN 843

-20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,362 BGN 2,383

25.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$916 BGN 1,602

17.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$2,998 BGN 5,246

31.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$2,090 BGN 3,657

194.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,286 BGN 2,250

-42.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.82

306.03%

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 Varna: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Varna

$482 34.2% 26.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Varna

$272 19.3% 6.6% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Varna

$200 14.2% 1.3% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Varna

$212 15.1% 55% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Varna

$135 9.6% 21% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Varna

$70 4.9% 3.3% $2.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Varna

$39 2.7% 23.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $640 in Varna. 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 75% higher in Varna. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $60 in Varna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $272 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

348,058

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Varna 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Varna

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 Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varna is pricier by about 17%, 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 $2,113 in Varna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $640 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,408 in Varna. That makes Playa del Carmen about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,408 in Varna. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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