Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machakos and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $520 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Machakos versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Machakos $520
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $802 in Machakos versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Machakos $802
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,084 in Machakos versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Machakos $1,084
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Machakos costs roughly 57% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Machakos 62% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.99 KES 389

$10.92 MX$205

-72.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.26 KES 2,500

$43.37 MX$813

-55.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 KES 812

$11.78 MX$221

-46.86%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 255

$3.81 MX$71.4

-48.29%

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

$0.66 KES 85.4

$1.28 MX$24.03

-48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 KES 69.6

$0.78 MX$14.67

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 KES 281

$3.17 MX$59.3

-31.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 KES 346

$4.93 MX$92.5

-45.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.39 KES 50.9

$1.41 MX$26.35

-72.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 62.7

$2.22 MX$41.54

-78.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$1.42 MX$26.56

-43.66%

Eggs

$1.36 KES 177

$2.52 MX$47.27

-46.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 KES 1,413

$7.26 MX$136

50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.36 KES 826

$7.70 MX$144

-17.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.71 KES 612

$12.69 MX$238

-62.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 KES 195

$2.78 MX$52.2

-46.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 KES 105

$1.37 MX$25.64

-40.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.37 KES 47.49

$2.55 MX$47.80

-85.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.40 KES 51.6

$2.12 MX$39.78

-81.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 KES 102

$1.94 MX$36.32

-59.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 KES 98.6

$1.89 MX$35.34

-59.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 KES 97.6

$1.15 MX$21.49

-34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 KES 51.1

$1.18 MX$22.09

-66.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 KES 455

$4.30 MX$80.5

-18.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 KES 1,468

$9.95 MX$186

13.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 KES 248

$1.58 MX$29.67

20.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 KES 351

$2.67 MX$50.1

1.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 KES 96.4

$4.97 MX$93.1

-85.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 KES 97.8

$3.33 MX$62.4

-77.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 KES 371

$5.36 MX$100

-46.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 KES 195

$1.44 MX$27.06

4.17%

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

$19.1K KES 2.5M

$20.7K MX$387.3K

-7.47%

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

$21.7K KES 2.8M

$23.5K MX$439.7K

-7.41%

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

$57.0 KES 7,396

$84.8 MX$1,589

-32.80%

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

$7.83 KES 1,017

$23.41 MX$439

-66.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.58 KES 1,503

$28.66 MX$537

-59.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.98 KES 5,060

$57.1 MX$1,069

-31.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 KES 994

$5.14 MX$96.3

49.03%

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

$45.51 KES 5,907

$207 MX$3,871

-77.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$3,927 MX$73.6K

213.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.62 KES 1,509

$43.35 MX$812

-73.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 KES 3,698

$41.44 MX$777

-31.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 KES 8,923

$74.2 MX$1,390

-7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.19 KES 4,956

$89.3 MX$1,672

-57.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$94.2 KES 12.2K

$980 MX$18.4K

-90.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.4 KES 9,132

$381 MX$7,136

-81.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$155 KES 20.1K

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-90.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.1K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-89.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$385 KES 50.0K

$735 MX$13.8K

-47.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

11.45

28.47%

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

Last update for Machakos: October 24, 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

Machakos

$161 31%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 58.2% $94

Eating Out

Machakos

$87 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 132% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machakos

$76 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 79.1% $60

Accommodation & Living

Machakos

$70 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 441% $310

Clothing & Footwear

Machakos

$66 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 68.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Machakos

$54 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 24% $13

Getting Around

Machakos

$4.5 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1019% $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 $94 in Machakos and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 91% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19 in Machakos vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $161 vs $255 per month, with Machakos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Machakos

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

12:34 12:34 PM

8 h behind Machakos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,109

149,923

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Machakos Playa del Carmen 13,620 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Machakos
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

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

Machakos wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Machakos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Machakos. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $94 in Machakos versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $520 per month in Machakos versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Machakos is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $520 in Machakos versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Machakos but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Machakos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Machakos wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.