Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szczecinek and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,475 in Szczecinek, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Szczecinek outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Szczecinek, Poland
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Szczecinek
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,475
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,475 per month in Szczecinek vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Szczecinek $1,475
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,128 per month in Szczecinek vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Szczecinek $2,128
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,780 per month in Szczecinek vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Szczecinek $2,780
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Szczecinek costs about 23% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Szczecinek sits 8% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Szczecinek
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.46 zł 45.32
$10.92 MX$205
4.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.98 zł 174
$43.37 MX$815
1.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 zł 34.38
$11.78 MX$221
-26.15%
Cappuccino
$3.46 zł 13.66
$3.81 MX$71.6
-9.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 zł 4.33
$1.28 MX$24.10
-14.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 zł 3.32
$0.78 MX$14.71
7.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.07 zł 12.12
$3.17 MX$59.5
-3.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 zł 5.70
$4.93 MX$92.7
-70.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Szczecinek
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.89 zł 3.51
$1.41 MX$26.43
-36.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.19 zł 4.70
$2.22 MX$41.66
-46.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 zł 5.35
$1.42 MX$26.64
-4.93%
Eggs
$3.48 zł 13.77
$2.52 MX$47.41
38.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.69 zł 30.41
$7.26 MX$137
5.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.10 zł 24.10
$7.70 MX$145
-20.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.92 zł 51.1
$12.69 MX$239
1.81%
Apples (1kg)
$1.23 zł 4.84
$2.78 MX$52.3
-55.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.12 zł 4.44
$1.37 MX$25.71
-18.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 zł 6.49
$2.55 MX$47.94
-35.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.50 zł 9.90
$2.12 MX$39.90
17.92%
Potato (1kg)
$0.78 zł 3.07
$1.94 MX$36.43
-59.79%
Onion (1kg)
$0.78 zł 3.09
$1.89 MX$35.44
-58.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 zł 5.01
$1.15 MX$21.55
10.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 zł 2.77
$1.18 MX$22.16
-40.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.73 zł 22.65
$4.30 MX$80.7
33.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.64 zł 30.19
$9.95 MX$187
-23.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 zł 4.52
$1.58 MX$29.76
-27.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 zł 5.60
$2.67 MX$50.2
-46.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Szczecinek
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.03 zł 4.08
$0.55 MX$10.40
87.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.54 zł 121
$26.62 MX$500
14.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.30 zł 9.08
$4.97 MX$93.4
-53.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.04 zł 4.13
$3.33 MX$62.6
-68.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.32 zł 44.74
$5.36 MX$101
111.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 zł 5.69
$1.44 MX$27.14
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.1K zł 122.8K
$20.7K MX$388.4K
50.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K zł 112.2K
$23.5K MX$441.0K
20.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Szczecinek
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$295 zł 1,165
$84.8 MX$1,594
247.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.67 zł 30.33
$23.41 MX$440
-67.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.39 zł 72.7
$28.66 MX$539
-35.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Szczecinek
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.56 zł 148
$57.1 MX$1,072
-34.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.63 zł 93.4
$28.91 MX$543
-18.26%
Cinema Ticket
$7.37 zł 29.14
$5.14 MX$96.6
43.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Szczecinek
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$205 zł 811
$207 MX$3,882
-0.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,514 zł 29.7K
$3,927 MX$73.8K
91.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Szczecinek
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.6 zł 307
$43.35 MX$815
79.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.62 zł 149
$41.44 MX$779
-9.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.3 zł 333
$74.2 MX$1,394
13.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 zł 432
$89.3 MX$1,677
22.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Szczecinek
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$541 zł 2,138
$980 MX$18.4K
-44.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$530 zł 2,096
$381 MX$7,157
39.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,031 zł 4,074
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-39.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$852 zł 3,369
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-20.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,714 zł 10.7K
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-31.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,178 zł 8,611
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-64.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Szczecinek
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,255 zł 4,962
$735 MX$13.8K
70.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.2
11.45
-63.32%

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

Last update for Szczecinek: October 24, 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
Szczecinek
$530
Playa del Carmen
$381 28.2% $150
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Szczecinek
$321
Playa del Carmen
$137 57.3% $184
Groceries & Markets
Szczecinek
$206
Playa del Carmen
$255 23.9% $49
Eating Out
Szczecinek
$185
Playa del Carmen
$202 9.2% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Szczecinek
$139
Playa del Carmen
$112 19.6% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Szczecinek
$52
Playa del Carmen
$67 28.7% $15
Getting Around
Szczecinek
$42
Playa del Carmen
$50 19.6% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Szczecinek 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 71% higher in Szczecinek. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Szczecinek versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Szczecinek vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Szczecinek wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇱 Szczecinek
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
03:49 3:49 AM
21:49 9:49 PM
6 h behind Szczecinek
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
39,705
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.95 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Szczecinek Playa del Carmen 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Szczecinek
  • 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
Szczecinek vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Szczecinek?
Yes – Szczecinek is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,213 per month in Szczecinek 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 Szczecinek, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $541 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Szczecinek and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,475 in Szczecinek and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 18% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Szczecinek and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is it better to live in Szczecinek or in Playa del Carmen?
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 $1,475 in Szczecinek. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Szczecinek makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Szczecinek vs other spots: cost of living compared

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