Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Artem and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Artem: $1,117 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

Artem
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,117
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Artem versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Artem $1,117
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,724 in Artem versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Artem $1,724
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,332 in Artem versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Artem $2,332
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Artem costs roughly 8% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Artem 17% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Artem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.64 ₽972
$10.76 MX$199
8.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.32 ₽2,948
$43.03 MX$795
-17.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.53 ₽545
$11.79 MX$218
-44.61%
Cappuccino
$3.14 ₽262
$3.87 MX$71.4
-18.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₽89.9
$1.37 MX$25.29
-21.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ₽56.6
$0.84 MX$15.44
-19.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.45 ₽121
$3.10 MX$57.3
-53.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 ₽189
$5.07 MX$93.6
-55.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Artem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ₽139
$1.44 MX$26.55
15.28%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 ₽56.9
$2.23 MX$41.23
-69.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 ₽133
$1.47 MX$27.17
8.16%
Eggs
$2.37 ₽198
$2.53 MX$46.71
-6.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.47 ₽1,124
$7.30 MX$135
84.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.22 ₽519
$7.86 MX$145
-20.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.32 ₽945
$12.79 MX$236
-11.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.89 ₽242
$2.90 MX$53.6
-0.34%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 ₽168
$1.44 MX$26.53
40.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.68 ₽224
$2.55 MX$47.07
5.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.11 ₽343
$2.06 MX$38.03
99.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 ₽85.9
$2.00 MX$36.97
-48.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 ₽83.2
$2.01 MX$37.07
-50.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 ₽111
$1.19 MX$22.02
11.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₽88.0
$1.26 MX$23.23
-16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99 ₽250
$4.40 MX$81.4
-32.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.74 ₽646
$9.59 MX$177
-19.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 ₽96.7
$1.59 MX$29.41
-27.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 ₽189
$2.81 MX$51.9
-19.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Artem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 ₽45.70
$0.57 MX$10.47
-3.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.82 MX$514
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.32 ₽194
$4.98 MX$92.1
-53.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.36 ₽30.36
$3.50 MX$64.6
-89.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.66 ₽473
$5.40 MX$99.8
4.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 ₽72.1
$1.47 MX$27.08
-41.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.2K ₽3.7M
$21.0K MX$387.8K
110.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.9K ₽2.9M
$23.9K MX$441.8K
45.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Artem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$157 ₽13.1K
$84.2 MX$1,556
86.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.14 ₽679
$23.99 MX$443
-66.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.04 ₽755
$29.02 MX$536
-68.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Artem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.10 ₽2,930
$63.0 MX$1,164
-44.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.51 ₽1,963
$29.14 MX$539
-19.32%
Cinema Ticket
$5.17 ₽431
$4.94 MX$91.3
4.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Artem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$338 ₽28.2K
$204 MX$3,763
66.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,249 ₽521.6K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
58.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Artem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.5 ₽6,715
$43.60 MX$806
84.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.6 ₽4,306
$43.12 MX$797
19.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.5 ₽7,973
$75.8 MX$1,400
26.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 ₽10.2K
$88.6 MX$1,637
38.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Artem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$440 ₽36.8K
$1,008 MX$18.6K
-56.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$313 ₽26.1K
$374 MX$6,911
-16.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$874 ₽73.0K
$1,708 MX$31.6K
-48.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$558 ₽46.6K
$1,106 MX$20.4K
-49.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,191 ₽182.9K
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-44.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,453 ₽121.3K
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-76.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Artem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$754 MX$13.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
23.6
11.45
106.11%

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

Last update for Artem: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Artem
$313
Playa del Carmen
$374 19.5% $61
Groceries & Markets
Artem
$251
Playa del Carmen
$258 2.8% $7.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Artem
$174
Playa del Carmen
$137 21.2% $37
Eating Out
Artem
$169
Playa del Carmen
$202 19.5% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Artem
$158
Playa del Carmen
$113 28.3% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Artem
$45
Playa del Carmen
$73 60.4% $27
Getting Around
Artem
$6.3 *
Playa del Carmen
$53 730% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $440 in Artem and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Artem vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $258 per month, with Artem cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Artem
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
11:03 11:03 AM
20:03 8:03 PM
15 h behind Artem
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
104,926
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Artem Playa del Carmen 11,850 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Artem
  • 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
Artem vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Artem or Playa del Carmen?
Artem wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Artem the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Artem and in Playa del Carmen?
You'd need roughly $1,676 in Artem and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Artem compared to Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $440 in Artem versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Artem and in Playa del Carmen?
Childcare runs $338 in Artem versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Artem and in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Artem – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Artem or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,117 in Artem versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Artem but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Artem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Artem or Playa del Carmen?
Both work as nomad bases, but Artem delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,117 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Artem hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Artem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Artem vs other spots: cost of living compared

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