Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tula and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tula: $912 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Tula
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Tula Living Index
59

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

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Tula

🇷🇺 Russia

$912

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $912 per month in Tula vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tula $912
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,496 per month in Tula vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tula $1,496
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Tula vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tula $2,080
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Tula is about 24% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tula and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tula 33% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 ₽1,007

$10.86 MX$201

11.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 ₽5,002

$44.21 MX$817

35.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.29 ₽608

$11.76 MX$217

-38.01%

Cappuccino

$3.93 ₽328

$3.68 MX$68.0

6.79%

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

$1.62 ₽136

$1.34 MX$24.79

20.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ₽70.4

$0.82 MX$15.24

2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.81 ₽401

$3.06 MX$56.6

57.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 ₽416

$4.94 MX$91.2

1.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₽103

$1.47 MX$27.17

-15.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 ₽88.6

$2.22 MX$40.95

-52.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 ₽140

$1.48 MX$27.32

13.51%

Eggs

$1.94 ₽162

$2.49 MX$45.99

-22.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.55 ₽1,214

$7.52 MX$139

93.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 ₽557

$7.96 MX$147

-16.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 ₽1,012

$12.57 MX$232

-3.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ₽179

$2.78 MX$51.3

-23.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ₽157

$1.43 MX$26.37

31.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 ₽172

$2.62 MX$48.37

-21.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 ₽348

$2.14 MX$39.49

94.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ₽76.1

$2.02 MX$37.38

-54.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ₽59.0

$1.99 MX$36.74

-64.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 ₽133

$1.14 MX$21.01

39.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₽82.3

$1.20 MX$22.18

-17.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₽293

$4.26 MX$78.7

-17.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 ₽999

$10.02 MX$185

19.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₽104

$1.54 MX$28.41

-18.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₽222

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 ₽46.98

$0.53 MX$9.73

5.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₽154

$4.90 MX$90.6

-62.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₽72.0

$3.43 MX$63.5

-74.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.12 ₽1,012

$5.38 MX$99.4

125.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₽71.6

$1.45 MX$26.76

-40.69%

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

$43.2K ₽3.6M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

104.06%

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

$38.9K ₽3.2M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

68.80%

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

$165 ₽13.8K

$85.4 MX$1,577

93.62%

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

$8.76 ₽731

$23.46 MX$434

-62.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.18 ₽850

$28.43 MX$525

-64.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$9.46 ₽790

$5.10 MX$94.3

85.49%

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

$848 ₽70.8K

$201 MX$3,715

321.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.7K ₽2.4M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

626.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 ₽9,518

$44.39 MX$820

156.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.5 ₽5,720

$41.35 MX$764

65.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 ₽12.5K

$72.7 MX$1,344

105.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 ₽15.3K

$89.6 MX$1,656

104.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.56

11.45

70.83%

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

Last update for Tula: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tula

$260 28.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 0.5% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Tula

$232 25.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 51.8% $120

Eating Out

Tula

$209 23%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 4.4% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tula

$184 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 25.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Tula

$19 * 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 283% $53

Getting Around

Tula

$8.4 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 515% $43

Accommodation & Living

Tula

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Tula versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Tula

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

8 h behind Tula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

475,161

149,923

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tula Playa del Carmen 10,170 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Tula
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tula 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 clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in Tula and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $912 in Tula and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 32%.

Kindergarten costs $848 per month in Tula and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tula, where all-in costs run around $912, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tula – 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 Tula. 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.