Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samsun and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Samsun: $940 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Samsun, Turkey
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Samsun
🇹🇷 Turkey
$940
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Samsun and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $940 per month in Samsun vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Samsun $940
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,631 per month in Samsun vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Samsun $1,631
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,321 per month in Samsun vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Samsun $2,321
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Samsun is about 22% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Samsun and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Samsun 31% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Samsun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.06 ₺502
$10.92 MX$205
-7.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.3 ₺2,961
$43.37 MX$814
36.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.45 ₺522
$11.78 MX$221
-11.29%
Cappuccino
$3.97 ₺198
$3.81 MX$71.5
4.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 ₺41.91
$1.28 MX$24.07
-34.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ₺14.38
$0.78 MX$14.70
-62.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.86 ₺92.7
$3.17 MX$59.5
-41.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 ₺101
$4.93 MX$92.7
-58.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Samsun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 ₺58.5
$1.41 MX$26.40
-17.02%
White Bread (500g)
$1.94 ₺96.8
$2.22 MX$41.62
-12.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.73 ₺136
$1.42 MX$26.61
92.25%
Eggs
$2.44 ₺122
$2.52 MX$47.36
-3.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.20 ₺409
$7.26 MX$136
12.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.53 ₺276
$7.70 MX$144
-28.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.33 ₺1,315
$12.69 MX$238
107.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ₺120
$2.78 MX$52.3
-13.67%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 ₺117
$1.37 MX$25.68
70.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 ₺72.9
$2.55 MX$47.89
-42.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.04 ₺51.9
$2.12 MX$39.86
-50.94%
Potato (1kg)
$0.44 ₺21.91
$1.94 MX$36.39
-77.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.34 ₺16.82
$1.89 MX$35.41
-82.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.82 ₺40.84
$1.15 MX$21.53
-28.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 ₺33.76
$1.18 MX$22.13
-42.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.16 ₺108
$4.30 MX$80.6
-49.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.79 ₺439
$9.95 MX$187
-11.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ₺80.4
$1.58 MX$29.73
1.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 ₺114
$2.67 MX$50.1
-14.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Samsun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.60 ₺30.20
$0.55 MX$10.39
9.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.88 ₺593
$26.62 MX$500
-55.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.03 ₺101
$4.97 MX$93.3
-59.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.63 ₺31.28
$3.33 MX$62.5
-81.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.33 ₺316
$5.36 MX$101
18.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 ₺64.2
$1.44 MX$27.11
-10.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.2K ₺2.1M
$20.7K MX$388.0K
99.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.0K ₺1.9M
$23.5K MX$440.5K
66.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Samsun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.1 ₺4,351
$84.8 MX$1,592
2.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.43 ₺621
$23.41 MX$439
-46.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.50 ₺624
$28.66 MX$538
-56.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Samsun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.67 ₺1,532
$57.1 MX$1,071
-46.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.89 ₺294
$28.91 MX$543
-79.63%
Cinema Ticket
$4.05 ₺202
$5.14 MX$96.5
-21.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Samsun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$256 ₺12.8K
$207 MX$3,878
23.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$3,927 MX$73.7K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Samsun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.82 ₺1,189
$43.35 MX$814
-45.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.41 ₺1,518
$41.44 MX$778
-26.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.7 ₺3,479
$74.2 MX$1,393
-6.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.4 ₺3,018
$89.3 MX$1,676
-32.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Samsun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$354 ₺17.7K
$980 MX$18.4K
-63.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$246 ₺12.3K
$381 MX$7,150
-35.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$738 ₺36.9K
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-56.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$612 ₺30.6K
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-43.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$973 ₺48.6K
$3,943 MX$74.0K
-75.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$664 ₺33.2K
$6,158 MX$115.6K
-89.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Samsun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$934 ₺46.7K
$735 MX$13.8K
27.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
49
11.45
327.95%

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

Last update for Samsun: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Samsun
$264
Playa del Carmen
$255 3.4% $8.9
Accommodation & Living
Samsun
$246
Playa del Carmen
$381 54.7% $135
Eating Out
Samsun
$177
Playa del Carmen
$202 14.2% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Samsun
$112
Playa del Carmen
$137 22.1% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Samsun
$83
Playa del Carmen
$112 34.7% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Samsun
$39
Playa del Carmen
$67 73.6% $29
Getting Around
Samsun
$19
Playa del Carmen
$50 159% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $354 in Samsun versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 27% higher in Samsun, 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 $59 in Samsun versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Samsun
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
04:03 4:03 AM
20:03 8:03 PM
8 h behind Samsun
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,295,927
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 49.93 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Samsun Playa del Carmen 11,000 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Samsun
  • Playa del Carmen

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
Samsun vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Samsun cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 28%, 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 $1,410 per month in Samsun and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Samsun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $354 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Samsun and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $940 in Samsun and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Samsun about 22% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 55% less in Samsun. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is it better to live in Samsun or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $940 in Samsun to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Samsun vs other spots: cost of living compared

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