Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shumen and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $913 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index
58

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

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Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$913

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in Shumen vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shumen $913
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,422 per month in Shumen vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shumen $1,422
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Shumen vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shumen $1,931
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Shumen is about 24% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Shumen and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Shumen 33% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 BGN 15.99

$10.92 MX$205

-16.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.66 BGN 60.7

$43.37 MX$814

-20.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 BGN 15.99

$11.78 MX$221

-22.41%

Cappuccino

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$3.81 MX$71.5

-55.64%

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

$1.43 BGN 2.50

$1.28 MX$24.07

11.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$0.78 MX$14.70

37.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 BGN 5.15

$3.17 MX$59.5

-6.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 BGN 5.06

$4.93 MX$92.7

-41.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BGN 3.23

$1.41 MX$26.40

30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$2.22 MX$41.62

-51.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 BGN 4.49

$1.42 MX$26.61

80.99%

Eggs

$2.85 BGN 4.98

$2.52 MX$47.36

13.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 BGN 15.94

$7.26 MX$136

25.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 BGN 8.95

$7.70 MX$144

-33.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 BGN 15.51

$12.69 MX$238

-30.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$2.78 MX$52.3

-45.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.37 MX$25.68

48.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.80

$2.55 MX$47.89

-14.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$2.12 MX$39.86

8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$1.94 MX$36.39

5.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.20

$1.89 MX$35.41

-33.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 BGN 1.53

$1.15 MX$21.53

-23.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$1.18 MX$22.13

-34.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.67 BGN 6.41

$4.30 MX$80.6

-14.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 BGN 12.25

$9.95 MX$187

-29.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 BGN 1.69

$1.58 MX$29.73

-38.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 BGN 2.57

$2.67 MX$50.1

-44.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.55 MX$10.39

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.12 BGN 45.72

$26.62 MX$500

-1.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$4.97 MX$93.3

-64.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 BGN 0.93

$3.33 MX$62.5

-84.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 BGN 2.78

$1.44 MX$27.11

10.42%

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

$30.9K BGN 54.1K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

49.60%

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

$22.3K BGN 39.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-4.82%

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

$133 BGN 232

$84.8 MX$1,592

56.48%

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

$17.68 BGN 30.94

$23.41 MX$439

-24.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 BGN 29.64

$28.66 MX$538

-40.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.15 BGN 66.8

$57.1 MX$1,071

-33.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.41 BGN 19.97

$28.91 MX$543

-60.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 BGN 12.32

$5.14 MX$96.5

36.96%

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

$561 BGN 982

$207 MX$3,878

171.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K BGN 18.4K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

167.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.91 BGN 83.8

$43.35 MX$814

10.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 BGN 90.4

$41.44 MX$778

24.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 BGN 165

$74.2 MX$1,393

26.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 BGN 106

$89.3 MX$1,676

-32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 BGN 460

$980 MX$18.4K

-73.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 BGN 315

$381 MX$7,150

-52.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 BGN 748

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-74.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 BGN 584

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-68.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,231 BGN 2,154

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-68.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$997 BGN 1,744

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-83.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,024 BGN 1,792

$735 MX$13.8K

39.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

11.45

-71.62%

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

Last update for Shumen: October 26, 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

Shumen

$214 23.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 19.3% $41

Accommodation & Living

Shumen

$180 19.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 112% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shumen

$167 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 18.2% $30

Eating Out

Shumen

$151 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 33.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Shumen

$114 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.4% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Shumen

$52 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 28.9% $15

Getting Around

Shumen

$34 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 48.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Shumen 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 39% higher in Shumen, 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 $35 in Shumen versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $255 – making Shumen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Shumen

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

02:22 2:22 AM

7 h behind Shumen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,504

149,923

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shumen Playa del Carmen 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Shumen
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in Shumen 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 Shumen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $913 in Shumen and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Shumen about 24% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $561 per month in Shumen and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shumen, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Shumen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $913 in Shumen to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.