Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaka and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,201 in Kaka, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Kaka
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Kaka Living Index
60

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

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Kaka

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$2,201

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,201 per month in Kaka vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kaka $2,201
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $3,296 per month in Kaka vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kaka $3,296
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $4,391 per month in Kaka vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kaka $4,391
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Kaka costs about 81% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kaka sits 64% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.81 TMT 107

$10.97 MX$201

189.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 TMT 287

$44.85 MX$823

90.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 TMT 43.13

$11.92 MX$219

7.72%

Cappuccino

$6.59 TMT 22.13

$3.80 MX$69.9

73.42%

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

$1.58 TMT 5.31

$1.31 MX$24.08

20.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 TMT 2.79

$0.86 MX$15.72

-3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 TMT 18.85

$3.21 MX$59.0

74.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.77 TMT 46.27

$5.01 MX$92.0

174.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.54 TMT 15.24

$1.46 MX$26.77

210.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 TMT 6.88

$2.33 MX$42.72

-12.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.01 TMT 20.20

$1.44 MX$26.48

317.36%

Eggs

$5.90 TMT 19.82

$2.46 MX$45.20

139.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$37.81 TMT 127

$7.70 MX$141

391.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.30 TMT 68.2

$7.89 MX$145

157.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.71 TMT 76.3

$12.80 MX$235

77.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 TMT 16.56

$2.92 MX$53.6

68.84%

Banana (1kg)

$8.31 TMT 27.93

$1.42 MX$26.11

485.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.44 TMT 25.01

$2.57 MX$47.10

189.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 TMT 12.72

$2.14 MX$39.24

77.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 TMT 7.80

$1.95 MX$35.75

18.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 TMT 4.82

$1.94 MX$35.55

-25.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 TMT 8.84

$1.15 MX$21.13

128.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 TMT 3.74

$1.22 MX$22.42

-9.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.04 TMT 87.5

$4.38 MX$80.3

494.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$41.38 TMT 139

$9.85 MX$181

320.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.06 TMT 17.01

$1.54 MX$28.23

228.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 TMT 9.49

$2.72 MX$49.86

3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 TMT 9.37

$4.91 MX$90.2

-43.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 TMT 2.98

$3.52 MX$64.7

-74.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 TMT 29.28

$5.69 MX$104

53.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.41 TMT 1.39

$1.54 MX$28.27

-73.38%

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

$43.3K TMT 145.5K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

103.95%

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

$56.1K TMT 188.6K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

129.18%

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

$561 TMT 1,886

$83.6 MX$1,535

571.45%

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

$56.9 TMT 191

$24.03 MX$441

136.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$102 TMT 344

$29.33 MX$539

248.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 TMT 28.06

$5.09 MX$93.4

64.05%

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

$22.89 TMT 76.9

$208 MX$3,813

-88.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K TMT 82.2K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

504.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 TMT 184

$44.55 MX$818

22.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$114 TMT 384

$42.06 MX$772

171.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$357 TMT 1,201

$75.5 MX$1,387

373.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$190 TMT 638

$91.4 MX$1,678

107.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

11.45

-17.03%

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

Last update for Kaka: October 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaka

$721 33.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 81% $584

Groceries & Markets

Kaka

$667 30.7%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 61% $407

Eating Out

Kaka

$437 20.1%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 53.4% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Kaka

$322 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 64.6% $208

Sport & Entertainment

Kaka

$17 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 349% $58

Getting Around

Kaka

$7.2 * 0.3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 621% $45

Accommodation & Living

Kaka

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

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 $85.0 in Kaka versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $667 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Kaka

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

02:36 2:36 AM

10 h behind Kaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,315

149,923

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kaka Playa del Carmen 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaka
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

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

Kaka costs about 81% more than Playa del Carmen, 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 $3,301 per month in Kaka and $1,823 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 $2,201 in Kaka and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 81%.

Kindergarten costs $22.89 per month in Kaka and $208 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Kaka at $2,201. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kaka it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,215 versus $2,201 in Kaka. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kaka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.