Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sfantu Gheorghe and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfantu Gheorghe: $813 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Sfantu Gheorghe
Learn more

Sfantu Gheorghe Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sfantu Gheorghe

🇷🇴 Romania

$813

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sfantu Gheorghe 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 Sfantu Gheorghe and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $813 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sfantu Gheorghe $813
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,297 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sfantu Gheorghe $1,297
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,781 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sfantu Gheorghe $1,781
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Sfantu Gheorghe is about 32% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sfantu Gheorghe and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sfantu Gheorghe 40% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.56 RON 40.51

$10.86 MX$201

-21.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.50 RON 196

$44.21 MX$817

-6.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 RON 34.10

$11.76 MX$217

-38.69%

Cappuccino

$2.54 RON 12.04

$3.68 MX$68.0

-30.98%

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

$1.23 RON 5.81

$1.34 MX$24.79

-8.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$0.82 MX$15.24

30.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 RON 11.74

$3.06 MX$56.6

-18.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 RON 10.20

$4.94 MX$91.2

-56.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.55

$1.47 MX$27.17

-5.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RON 5.36

$2.22 MX$40.95

-49.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.48 MX$27.32

-5.41%

Eggs

$3.28 RON 15.52

$2.49 MX$45.99

31.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 RON 36.97

$7.52 MX$139

3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 RON 21.83

$7.96 MX$147

-42.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.72 RON 36.51

$12.57 MX$232

-38.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 RON 5.11

$2.78 MX$51.3

-61.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.14

$1.43 MX$26.37

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 RON 5.52

$2.62 MX$48.37

-55.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 RON 11.92

$2.14 MX$39.49

17.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 RON 3.27

$2.02 MX$37.38

-65.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 RON 2.84

$1.99 MX$36.74

-69.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 RON 4.86

$1.14 MX$21.01

-9.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.81

$1.20 MX$22.18

-32.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.90 RON 23.17

$4.26 MX$78.7

15.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RON 35.10

$10.02 MX$185

-25.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.56

$1.54 MX$28.41

-37.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$2.66 MX$49.17

-59.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.53 MX$9.73

64.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.61 RON 73.9

$27.51 MX$508

-43.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 RON 4.72

$4.90 MX$90.6

-79.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$3.43 MX$63.5

-74.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 RON 39.63

$5.38 MX$99.4

55.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.45 MX$26.76

11.72%

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

$28.9K RON 136.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

36.73%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

8.15%

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

$113 RON 536

$85.4 MX$1,577

32.76%

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

$9.41 RON 44.53

$23.46 MX$434

-59.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.23 RON 57.9

$28.43 MX$525

-56.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.71 RON 193

$62.2 MX$1,149

-34.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.72 RON 98.0

$28.68 MX$530

-27.75%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 RON 14.80

$5.10 MX$94.3

-38.63%

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

$444 RON 2,102

$201 MX$3,715

120.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,646 RON 31.4K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

68.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.88 RON 122

$44.39 MX$820

-41.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.62 RON 64.4

$41.35 MX$764

-67.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.45 RON 187

$72.7 MX$1,344

-45.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.3 RON 299

$89.6 MX$1,656

-29.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 RON 1,389

$979 MX$18.1K

-70.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 RON 1,003

$373 MX$6,887

-43.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 RON 2,479

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-68.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 RON 1,897

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-63.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,843 RON 8,718

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-53.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,362 RON 6,445

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-77.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$691 RON 3,271

$738 MX$13.6K

-6.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

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

Last update for Sfantu Gheorghe: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sfantu Gheorghe

$212 26.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 75.7% $161

Groceries & Markets

Sfantu Gheorghe

$184 22.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 40.3% $74

Eating Out

Sfantu Gheorghe

$147 18%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 36.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sfantu Gheorghe

$135 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 1.7% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sfantu Gheorghe

$64 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 74.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Sfantu Gheorghe

$47 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 54.1% $25

Getting Around

Sfantu Gheorghe

$24 3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 111% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $979 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 7% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $258 – making Sfantu Gheorghe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Sfantu Gheorghe

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

19:08 7:08 PM

8 h behind Sfantu Gheorghe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,006

149,923

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sfantu Gheorghe Playa del Carmen 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sfantu Gheorghe
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

Sfantu Gheorghe vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,220 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sfantu Gheorghe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 48%.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Sfantu Gheorghe. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sfantu Gheorghe, where all-in costs run around $813, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sfantu Gheorghe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sfantu Gheorghe – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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