Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zgorzelec

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,416 in Zgorzelec, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zgorzelec outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Zgorzelec
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Zgorzelec Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Zgorzelec

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,416 in Zgorzelec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Zgorzelec $1,416

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,062 in Zgorzelec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Zgorzelec $2,062

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,707 in Zgorzelec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Zgorzelec $2,707

Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper than Zgorzelec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Zgorzelec is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$8.90 zł 34.77

19.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$51.7 zł 202

-15.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.51 zł 29.35

56.99%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.09 zł 12.08

22.65%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.91 zł 3.57

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.63 zł 6.38

-49.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.48 zł 5.77

112.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.05 zł 8.00

140.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.95 zł 3.71

48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.20 zł 4.70

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.40 zł 5.47

5.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$3.51 zł 13.74

-28.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.58 zł 33.54

-15.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.84 zł 22.81

36.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.05 zł 51.0

-1.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$0.86 zł 3.37

237.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.50 zł 5.84

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$1.64 zł 6.40

51.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.55 zł 6.04

30.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$0.62 zł 2.42

225.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.01 zł 3.94

88.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.27 zł 4.96

-10.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.64 zł 2.49

93.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$4.64 zł 18.13

-7.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.53 zł 29.42

30.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.85 zł 3.32

87.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.47 zł 5.73

87.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.09 zł 4.27

-53.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$29.10 zł 114

-5.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.32 zł 9.07

105.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.05 zł 4.09

209.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$12.75 zł 49.82

-57.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.62 zł 6.31

-5.56%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$30.4K zł 118.7K

-30.15%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$27.7K zł 108.1K

-15.92%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$288 zł 1,127

-71.04%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$7.87 zł 30.75

194.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$18.41 zł 71.9

49.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$37.66 zł 147

49.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$21.48 zł 84.0

31.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.34 zł 28.67

-31.88%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$483 zł 1,887

-57.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$7,450 zł 29.1K

-29.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$77.2 zł 301

-43.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$37.75 zł 148

12.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$86.2 zł 337

-15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$109 zł 425

-18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$599 zł 2,339

66.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$515 zł 2,012

-25.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$968 zł 3,785

72.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$824 zł 3,218

31.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,959 zł 11.6K

32.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,159 zł 8,438

184.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$1,369 zł 5,349

-39.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.63

72.70%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zgorzelec: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Zgorzelec

$515 36.4% 34.6% $132

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Zgorzelec

$202 14.2% 21.7% $56

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Zgorzelec

$152 10.8% 23.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Zgorzelec

$315 22.2% 134% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Zgorzelec

$139 9.9% 25.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Zgorzelec

$52 3.7% 21.2% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Zgorzelec

$41 2.9% 18.7% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $599 in Zgorzelec. 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 64% higher in Zgorzelec. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $52 in Zgorzelec. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $202 in Zgorzelec – so Zgorzelec wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇱 Zgorzelec

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

29,534

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Zgorzelec 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zgorzelec

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 Zgorzelec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zgorzelec is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,125 in Zgorzelec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zgorzelec, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $599 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,416 in Zgorzelec. That makes Playa del Carmen about 15% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,416 in Zgorzelec. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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