Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szczecin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,397 in Szczecin, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Szczecin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Szczecin
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Szczecin Living Index
58

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

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Szczecin

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,397

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,397 per month in Szczecin vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Szczecin $1,397
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,080 per month in Szczecin vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Szczecin $2,080
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Szczecin vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Szczecin $2,763
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Szczecin costs about 16% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Szczecin sits 3% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.13 zł 35.98

$10.92 MX$205

-16.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.47 zł 183

$43.37 MX$814

7.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.52 zł 33.59

$11.78 MX$221

-27.67%

Cappuccino

$2.85 zł 11.23

$3.81 MX$71.5

-25.20%

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

$1.85 zł 7.30

$1.28 MX$24.07

44.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 zł 5.53

$0.78 MX$14.70

79.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 zł 11.87

$3.17 MX$59.5

-5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 zł 11.89

$4.93 MX$92.7

-38.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 zł 3.42

$1.41 MX$26.40

-38.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 zł 5.10

$2.22 MX$41.62

-41.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 zł 4.14

$1.42 MX$26.61

-26.06%

Eggs

$3.21 zł 12.65

$2.52 MX$47.36

27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 zł 36.08

$7.26 MX$136

26.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.37 zł 25.10

$7.70 MX$144

-17.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 zł 50.5

$12.69 MX$238

0.87%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 zł 3.78

$2.78 MX$52.3

-65.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 zł 6.40

$1.37 MX$25.68

18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 zł 6.23

$2.55 MX$47.89

-38.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 zł 9.08

$2.12 MX$39.86

8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 zł 3.38

$1.94 MX$36.39

-55.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 zł 4.08

$1.89 MX$35.41

-45.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 zł 4.37

$1.15 MX$21.53

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 zł 2.20

$1.18 MX$22.13

-52.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 zł 20.42

$4.30 MX$80.6

20.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 zł 24.92

$9.95 MX$187

-36.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 zł 4.24

$1.58 MX$29.73

-32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 zł 5.74

$2.67 MX$50.1

-45.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 zł 2.88

$0.55 MX$10.39

32.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.87 zł 98.1

$26.62 MX$500

-6.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 zł 7.94

$4.97 MX$93.3

-59.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 zł 3.63

$3.33 MX$62.5

-72.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.66 zł 49.91

$5.36 MX$101

136.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 zł 6.52

$1.44 MX$27.11

14.58%

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

$30.6K zł 120.7K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

48.12%

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

$28.6K zł 112.8K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

21.88%

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

$237 zł 934

$84.8 MX$1,592

179.37%

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

$11.99 zł 47.29

$23.41 MX$439

-48.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.74 zł 73.9

$28.66 MX$538

-34.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.52 zł 136

$57.1 MX$1,071

-39.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.10 zł 194

$28.91 MX$543

69.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 zł 29.56

$5.14 MX$96.5

45.91%

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

$359 zł 1,417

$207 MX$3,878

73.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,743 zł 30.5K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

97.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 zł 267

$43.35 MX$814

56.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.22 zł 135

$41.44 MX$778

-17.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 zł 309

$74.2 MX$1,393

5.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 zł 360

$89.3 MX$1,676

2.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 zł 2,600

$980 MX$18.4K

-32.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 zł 2,174

$381 MX$7,150

44.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 zł 4,919

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-26.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 zł 3,727

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-12.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,380 zł 13.3K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-14.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 zł 9,823

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-59.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,570 zł 6,190

$735 MX$13.8K

113.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.45

-40.44%

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

Last update for Szczecin: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Szczecin

$551 39.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 30.9% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szczecin

$268 19.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.9% $131

Groceries & Markets

Szczecin

$205 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 24.1% $49

Eating Out

Szczecin

$167 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 21.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Szczecin

$122 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 8.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Szczecin

$50 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 35.9% $18

Getting Around

Szczecin

$34 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 46.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Szczecin 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 in Szczecin are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Szczecin versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Szczecin vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Szczecin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Szczecin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

6 h behind Szczecin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

387,700

149,923

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.254 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.94 PLN (1 PLN = 0.254 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 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 PLN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Szczecin Playa del Carmen 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Szczecin
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

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

Yes – Szczecin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,096 per month in Szczecin 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 Szczecin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $659 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,397 in Szczecin and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Szczecin. 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,397 in Szczecin. 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, Szczecin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.