Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utena and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,347 in Utena, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Utena, Lithuania
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Utena
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,347
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,347 per month in Utena vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Utena $1,347
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,040 per month in Utena vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Utena $2,040
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,733 per month in Utena vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Utena $2,733
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Utena costs about 12% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Utena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.16 €10.89
$10.92 MX$205
11.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.2 €45.89
$43.37 MX$814
18.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.64 €5.94
$11.78 MX$221
-43.63%
Cappuccino
$3.05 €2.73
$3.81 MX$71.5
-19.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 €2.45
$1.28 MX$24.07
114.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.73
$0.78 MX$14.70
147.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.60 €5.02
$3.17 MX$59.5
76.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.89 €4.38
$4.93 MX$92.7
-0.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Utena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 €1.11
$1.41 MX$26.40
-12.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 €1.31
$2.22 MX$41.62
-34.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.42 MX$26.61
22.54%
Eggs
$2.82 €2.53
$2.52 MX$47.36
11.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.01 €8.96
$7.26 MX$136
37.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.86 €5.25
$7.70 MX$144
-23.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.39 €8.41
$12.69 MX$238
-26.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.60 €1.43
$2.78 MX$52.3
-42.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 €1.29
$1.37 MX$25.68
5.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 €1.47
$2.55 MX$47.89
-35.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.93 €2.63
$2.12 MX$39.86
38.21%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 €0.65
$1.94 MX$36.39
-62.37%
Onion (1kg)
$0.99 €0.88
$1.89 MX$35.41
-47.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 €1.38
$1.15 MX$21.53
33.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 €0.76
$1.18 MX$22.13
-28.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.74 €5.14
$4.30 MX$80.6
33.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.26 €7.40
$9.95 MX$187
-16.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 €1.43
$1.58 MX$29.73
1.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 €1.54
$2.67 MX$50.1
-35.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Utena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.55 MX$10.39
110.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.27 €27.11
$26.62 MX$500
13.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 €2.77
$4.97 MX$93.3
-37.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 €0.78
$3.33 MX$62.5
-73.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.27 €11.88
$5.36 MX$101
147.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 €1.60
$1.44 MX$27.11
24.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K €24.4K
$20.7K MX$388.0K
31.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K €25.0K
$23.5K MX$440.5K
18.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Utena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 €180
$84.8 MX$1,592
136.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.36 €11.96
$23.41 MX$439
-42.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.40 €10.21
$28.66 MX$538
-60.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Utena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.64 €31.92
$57.1 MX$1,071
-37.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.52 €21.96
$28.91 MX$543
-15.19%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 €7.80
$5.14 MX$96.5
69.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Utena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$508 €455
$207 MX$3,878
146.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,209 €8,248
$3,927 MX$73.7K
134.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Utena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$135 €121
$43.35 MX$814
211.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$65.0 €58.2
$41.44 MX$778
56.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.9 €72.5
$74.2 MX$1,393
9.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$183 €164
$89.3 MX$1,676
105.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Utena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$583 €522
$980 MX$18.4K
-40.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$389 €348
$381 MX$7,150
2.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$838 €751
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-50.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$636 €570
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-40.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,101 €2,777
$3,943 MX$74.0K
-21.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,927 €1,726
$6,158 MX$115.6K
-68.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Utena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,189 €1,065
$735 MX$13.8K
61.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.97
11.45
-65.33%

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

Last update for Utena: October 25, 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
Utena
$389
Playa del Carmen
$381 2% $7.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Utena
$225
Playa del Carmen
$137 39.2% $88
Groceries & Markets
Utena
$219
Playa del Carmen
$255 16.4% $36
Eating Out
Utena
$210
Playa del Carmen
$202 3.8% $7.9
Clothing & Footwear
Utena
$209
Playa del Carmen
$112 46.5% $97
Sport & Entertainment
Utena
$53
Playa del Carmen
$67 26.9% $14
Getting Around
Utena
$42
Playa del Carmen
$50 19.1% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $583 in Utena 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 62% higher in Utena. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Utena versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $219 in Utena vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Utena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇱🇹 Utena
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
18:52 6:52 PM
11:52 11:52 AM
7 h behind Utena
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
28,997
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Utena Playa del Carmen 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Utena
  • 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
Utena vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Utena?
Yes – Utena is pricier by about 12%, 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 $2,021 per month in Utena 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 Utena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $583 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Utena and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,347 in Utena and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 11% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 12% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough for either Utena or Playa del Carmen?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,347 in Utena and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Utena 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 $1,347 in Utena. 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, Utena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Utena vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?