Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stara Zagora and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $908 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Stara Zagora
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Stara Zagora Living Index
58

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

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Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$908

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $908 per month in Stara Zagora vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stara Zagora $908
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Stara Zagora vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stara Zagora $1,415
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,921 per month in Stara Zagora vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stara Zagora $1,921
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Stara Zagora is about 25% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.38 BGN 18.16

$10.92 MX$205

-4.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 BGN 90.5

$43.37 MX$815

19.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 BGN 16.02

$11.78 MX$221

-22.33%

Cappuccino

$2.34 BGN 4.09

$3.81 MX$71.6

-38.58%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.62

$1.28 MX$24.10

17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.78 MX$14.71

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 BGN 3.87

$3.17 MX$59.5

-30.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 BGN 3.56

$4.93 MX$92.7

-58.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.41 MX$26.43

22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$2.22 MX$41.66

-61.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 BGN 2.54

$1.42 MX$26.64

2.11%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.12

$2.52 MX$47.41

-6.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 BGN 16.42

$7.26 MX$137

29.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 BGN 11.18

$7.70 MX$145

-17.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.59 BGN 15.03

$12.69 MX$239

-32.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.19

$2.78 MX$52.3

-55.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$1.37 MX$25.71

24.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 BGN 3.08

$2.55 MX$47.94

-30.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$2.12 MX$39.90

-8.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 BGN 1.74

$1.94 MX$36.43

-48.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$1.89 MX$35.44

-61.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.97

$1.15 MX$21.55

-52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 BGN 1.10

$1.18 MX$22.16

-46.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 BGN 6.38

$4.30 MX$80.7

-15.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 BGN 9.18

$9.95 MX$187

-47.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.91

$1.58 MX$29.76

-31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.03

$2.67 MX$50.2

-35.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.55 MX$10.40

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.45 BGN 35.79

$26.62 MX$500

-23.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$4.97 MX$93.4

-74.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 BGN 1.13

$3.33 MX$62.6

-80.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.40 BGN 19.95

$5.36 MX$101

112.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 BGN 2.75

$1.44 MX$27.14

9.03%

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

$29.7K BGN 52.0K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

43.86%

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

$23.5K BGN 41.1K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

0.04%

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$84.8 MX$1,594

7.75%

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

$14.59 BGN 25.53

$23.41 MX$440

-37.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.26 BGN 21.46

$28.66 MX$539

-57.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.21 BGN 58.1

$57.1 MX$1,072

-41.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.06 BGN 36.86

$28.91 MX$543

-27.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 BGN 15.55

$5.14 MX$96.6

72.96%

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

$227 BGN 398

$207 MX$3,882

10.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,270 BGN 3,972

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-42.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.35 BGN 53.1

$43.35 MX$815

-29.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.39 BGN 33.93

$41.44 MX$779

-53.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 BGN 112

$74.2 MX$1,394

-13.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.9 BGN 90.8

$89.3 MX$1,677

-41.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 BGN 577

$980 MX$18.4K

-66.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 BGN 489

$381 MX$7,157

-26.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 BGN 871

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-70.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 BGN 699

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-62.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,506 BGN 2,635

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-61.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,109 BGN 1,941

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-81.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 BGN 1,867

$735 MX$13.8K

45.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

11.45

-73.89%

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

Last update for Stara Zagora: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Stara Zagora

$279 30.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 36.4% $102

Groceries & Markets

Stara Zagora

$194 21.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 31.5% $61

Eating Out

Stara Zagora

$163 18%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 24.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stara Zagora

$118 13%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 15.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Stara Zagora

$75 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 49.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Stara Zagora

$51 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 32.1% $16

Getting Around

Stara Zagora

$28 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 77.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $330 in Stara Zagora 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 45% higher in Stara Zagora, 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 $52 in Stara Zagora versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Stara Zagora vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Stara Zagora wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

01:13 1:13 AM

7 h behind Stara Zagora

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,266

149,923

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stara Zagora Playa del Carmen 10,190 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Stara Zagora
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,362 per month in Stara Zagora 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 Stara Zagora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $330 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $908 in Stara Zagora and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Stara Zagora about 25% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Stara Zagora. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Stara Zagora, where all-in costs run around $908, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Stara Zagora 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 $908 in Stara Zagora to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.