Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yambol

For one person, living is cheaper in Yambol: $974 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Yambol, Bulgaria
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Yambol
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$974
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $974 in Yambol, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Yambol $974

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,525 in Yambol, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Yambol $1,525

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,076 in Yambol, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Yambol $2,076

Playa del Carmen costs about 24% more than Yambol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Yambol are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Yambol 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Yambol
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$11.05 BGN 19.34
-1.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$44.91 BGN 78.6
-3.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$9.78 BGN 17.12
20.45%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$2.10 BGN 3.68
81.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$1.73 BGN 3.03
-26.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$1.28 BGN 2.25
-39.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$1.74 BGN 3.05
82.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$2.91 BGN 5.09
69.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Yambol
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.88 BGN 3.29
-25.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$1.25 BGN 2.18
77.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$2.39 BGN 4.19
-40.59%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$3.33 BGN 5.83
-24.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$9.07 BGN 15.87
-19.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$7.22 BGN 12.64
6.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$5.82 BGN 10.19
118.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$1.46 BGN 2.55
90.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.99 BGN 3.48
-31.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.66 BGN 2.91
53.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$1.59 BGN 2.79
33.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.30 BGN 2.28
49.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$0.88 BGN 1.54
114.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$1.07 BGN 1.86
7.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.77 BGN 1.34
53.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$4.04 BGN 7.06
6.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$4.63 BGN 8.10
114.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.22 BGN 2.13
29.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$1.79 BGN 3.13
49.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Yambol
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$0.93 BGN 1.62
-40.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$28.16 BGN 49.28
-5.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$1.60 BGN 2.81
210.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$0.91 BGN 1.59
265.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$11.94 BGN 20.89
-55.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.64 BGN 2.87
-12.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$29.9K BGN 52.3K
-30.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$24.9K BGN 43.5K
-5.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Yambol
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$111 BGN 195
-23.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$18.49 BGN 32.36
26.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$15.91 BGN 27.84
80.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Yambol
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$27.28 BGN 47.74
109.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$8.01 BGN 14.01
-35.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Yambol
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$506 BGN 886
-59.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$6,265 BGN 11.0K
-37.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Yambol
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$52.0 BGN 91.0
-16.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$21.73 BGN 38.03
90.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$86.0 BGN 150
-13.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$61.1 BGN 107
46.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Yambol
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$359 BGN 628
172.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$271 BGN 474
40.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$540 BGN 945
216.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$478 BGN 836
125.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$1,279 BGN 2,238
208.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$1,175 BGN 2,056
424.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Yambol
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$954 BGN 1,669
-22.98%
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 Yambol: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Yambol
$271 28.9% $110
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Yambol
$207 18.8% $48
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Yambol
$170 16.2% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Yambol
$146 6.6% $9
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Yambol
$99 11% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Yambol
$43 35.7% $24
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Yambol
$38 24.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $359 in Yambol. 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 Yambol, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $45 in Yambol. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $207 in Yambol – so Yambol wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇬 Yambol
🕒 Local time
09:32 9:32 AM
16:32 4:32 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
76,599
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR 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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Yambol 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Yambol

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 Yambol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yambol cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,461 in Yambol. 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 Yambol, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $359 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Yambol?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $974 in Yambol. That makes Yambol about 19% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 5% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Yambol?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Yambol, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Yambol it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Yambol?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $974 in Yambol to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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