Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aktau and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $790 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
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Aktau Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$790

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $790 per month in Aktau vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Aktau $790
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,315 per month in Aktau vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Aktau $1,315
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,840 per month in Aktau vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Aktau $1,840
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Aktau is about 34% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aktau and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Aktau 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 ₸5,001

$10.92 MX$205

1.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.54 ₸19.7K

$43.37 MX$814

0.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 ₸4,491

$11.78 MX$221

-15.96%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₸1,177

$3.81 MX$71.5

-32.02%

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

$0.79 ₸356

$1.28 MX$24.07

-38.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₸222

$0.78 MX$14.70

-37.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₸620

$3.17 MX$59.5

-56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₸720

$4.93 MX$92.7

-67.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ₸669

$1.41 MX$26.40

4.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₸228

$2.22 MX$41.62

-77.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 ₸860

$1.42 MX$26.61

33.80%

Eggs

$1.69 ₸768

$2.52 MX$47.36

-32.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 ₸4,542

$7.26 MX$136

38.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 ₸1,885

$7.70 MX$144

-45.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 ₸3,892

$12.69 MX$238

-32.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 ₸693

$2.78 MX$52.3

-44.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 ₸1,054

$1.37 MX$25.68

69.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₸1,063

$2.55 MX$47.89

-8.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 ₸1,262

$2.12 MX$39.86

31.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₸301

$1.94 MX$36.39

-65.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₸260

$1.89 MX$35.41

-69.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 ₸673

$1.15 MX$21.53

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₸413

$1.18 MX$22.13

-22.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.59 ₸1,176

$4.30 MX$80.6

-39.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.37 ₸4,249

$9.95 MX$187

-5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₸354

$1.58 MX$29.73

-50.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₸417

$2.67 MX$50.1

-65.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₸70.4

$0.55 MX$10.39

-70.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ₸495

$4.97 MX$93.3

-78.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸291

$3.33 MX$62.5

-80.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 ₸301

$1.44 MX$27.11

-54.17%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

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

$31.4K ₸14.2M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

33.85%

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

$45.62 ₸20.7K

$84.8 MX$1,592

-46.20%

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

$8.07 ₸3,661

$23.41 MX$439

-65.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ₸4,851

$28.66 MX$538

-62.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.05 ₸16.4K

$57.1 MX$1,071

-36.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 ₸1,373

$5.14 MX$96.5

-41.05%

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

$146 ₸66.2K

$207 MX$3,878

-29.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,678 ₸1.2M

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-31.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 ₸30.5K

$43.35 MX$814

55.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 ₸18.1K

$41.44 MX$778

-3.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₸32.5K

$74.2 MX$1,393

-3.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 ₸40.4K

$89.3 MX$1,676

-0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$328 ₸148.9K

$980 MX$18.4K

-66.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ₸87.8K

$381 MX$7,150

-49.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 ₸246.6K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-68.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₸178.2K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-63.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 ₸365.7K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-79.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$657 ₸297.8K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-89.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 ₸250.8K

$735 MX$13.8K

-24.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

22.27%

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

Last update for Aktau: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Aktau

$200 25.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27.4% $55

Accommodation & Living

Aktau

$193 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 96.8% $187

Eating Out

Aktau

$164 20.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 23.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Aktau

$121 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.3% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aktau

$64 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 113% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Aktau

$42 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 59.9% $25

Getting Around

Aktau

$4.9 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 925% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $328 in Aktau 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 33% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Aktau versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Aktau vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Aktau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Aktau

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

22:24 10:24 PM

10 h behind Aktau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

273,830

149,923

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aktau Playa del Carmen 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Aktau
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 53% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,185 per month in Aktau 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 Aktau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $328 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $790 in Aktau and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Aktau about 34% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Aktau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Aktau. 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.