Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulyanovsk and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $954 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ulyanovsk, Russia
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ulyanovsk
🇷🇺 Russia
$954
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $954 per month in Ulyanovsk vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Ulyanovsk $954
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in Ulyanovsk vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Ulyanovsk $1,464
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,975 per month in Ulyanovsk vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Ulyanovsk $1,975
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ulyanovsk is about 21% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ulyanovsk and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ulyanovsk 30% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ulyanovsk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.53 ₽687
$10.92 MX$205
-21.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.09 ₽2,504
$43.37 MX$815
-28.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.57 ₽529
$11.78 MX$221
-44.23%
Cappuccino
$2.30 ₽185
$3.81 MX$71.6
-39.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 ₽71.9
$1.28 MX$24.10
-30.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ₽29.31
$0.78 MX$14.71
-53.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.87 ₽151
$3.17 MX$59.5
-41.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 ₽154
$4.93 MX$92.7
-61.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ulyanovsk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 ₽86.2
$1.41 MX$26.43
-24.11%
White Bread (500g)
$0.61 ₽48.87
$2.22 MX$41.66
-72.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.07 ₽85.9
$1.42 MX$26.64
-24.65%
Eggs
$1.47 ₽118
$2.52 MX$47.41
-41.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.95 ₽1,204
$7.26 MX$137
105.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.51 ₽605
$7.70 MX$145
-2.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.56 ₽609
$12.69 MX$239
-40.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 ₽126
$2.78 MX$52.3
-43.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 ₽132
$1.37 MX$25.71
19.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.11 ₽331
$2.55 MX$47.94
61.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.02 ₽404
$2.12 MX$39.90
136.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 ₽120
$1.94 MX$36.43
-23.20%
Onion (1kg)
$0.80 ₽64.2
$1.89 MX$35.44
-57.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.15 MX$21.55
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₽46.66
$1.18 MX$22.16
-50.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 ₽243
$4.30 MX$80.7
-29.77%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$9.95 MX$187
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 ₽90.9
$1.58 MX$29.76
-28.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.67 MX$50.2
-
🚌 Getting Around
Ulyanovsk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.48 ₽38.50
$0.55 MX$10.40
-12.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.80 ₽2,400
$26.62 MX$500
11.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.73 ₽301
$4.97 MX$93.4
-24.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$3.33 MX$62.6
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.77 ₽304
$5.36 MX$101
-29.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 ₽70.5
$1.44 MX$27.14
-38.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$54.8K ₽4.4M
$20.7K MX$388.4K
165.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.1K ₽3.4M
$23.5K MX$441.0K
79.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ulyanovsk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$146 ₽11.8K
$84.8 MX$1,594
72.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.97 ₽400
$23.41 MX$440
-78.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.51 ₽1,168
$28.66 MX$539
-49.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ulyanovsk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.11 ₽2,989
$57.1 MX$1,072
-34.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.68 ₽1,987
$28.91 MX$543
-14.63%
Cinema Ticket
$8.73 ₽703
$5.14 MX$96.6
69.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ulyanovsk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$207 MX$3,882
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$3,927 MX$73.8K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ulyanovsk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.46 ₽2,534
$43.35 MX$815
-27.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.52 ₽2,941
$41.44 MX$779
-11.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.6 ₽7,941
$74.2 MX$1,394
32.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$61.8 ₽4,974
$89.3 MX$1,677
-30.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ulyanovsk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$373 ₽30.1K
$980 MX$18.4K
-61.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$251 ₽20.3K
$381 MX$7,157
-33.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$491 ₽39.6K
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-71.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$439 ₽35.4K
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-59.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ₽218.5K
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-31.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,571 ₽126.5K
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-74.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ulyanovsk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$517 ₽41.6K
$735 MX$13.8K
-29.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
23
11.45
100.87%

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

Last update for Ulyanovsk: 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
Ulyanovsk
$251
Playa del Carmen
$381 51.4% $129
Groceries & Markets
Ulyanovsk
$210 *
Playa del Carmen
$255 21.4% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ulyanovsk
$166
Playa del Carmen
$137 17.4% $29
Eating Out
Ulyanovsk
$134
Playa del Carmen
$202 51.3% $69
Clothing & Footwear
Ulyanovsk
$103
Playa del Carmen
$112 8.7% $8.9
Sport & Entertainment
Ulyanovsk
$55
Playa del Carmen
$67 23.3% $13
Getting Around
Ulyanovsk
$35 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 42.3% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $373 in Ulyanovsk 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 42% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Ulyanovsk versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $255 – making Ulyanovsk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
08:57 8:57 AM
23:57 11:57 PM
9 h behind Ulyanovsk
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
627,705
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 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
  • Ulyanovsk Playa del Carmen 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ulyanovsk
  • 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
Ulyanovsk vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ulyanovsk cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Ulyanovsk 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 Ulyanovsk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $373 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Ulyanovsk and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $954 in Ulyanovsk and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Ulyanovsk about 21% cheaper.
Is eating out cheaper in Ulyanovsk or in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Ulyanovsk and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Ulyanovsk or in Playa del Carmen?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $954 in Ulyanovsk and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Ulyanovsk or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $954 in Ulyanovsk to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Ulyanovsk. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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