Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makhachkala and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,009 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index
59

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

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Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,009 per month in Makhachkala vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Makhachkala $1,009
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,562 per month in Makhachkala vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Makhachkala $1,562
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,115 per month in Makhachkala vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Makhachkala $2,115
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Makhachkala is about 17% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Makhachkala and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Makhachkala 25% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.20 ₽851

$10.76 MX$199

-5.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.73 ₽2,648

$43.03 MX$795

-26.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.48 ₽457

$11.79 MX$218

-53.52%

Cappuccino

$2.65 ₽221

$3.87 MX$71.4

-31.52%

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

$1.17 ₽98.0

$1.37 MX$25.29

-14.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₽51.1

$0.84 MX$15.44

-27.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 ₽162

$3.10 MX$57.3

-37.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₽246

$5.07 MX$93.6

-42.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 ₽91.6

$1.44 MX$26.55

-23.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 ₽58.9

$2.23 MX$41.23

-68.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ₽118

$1.47 MX$27.17

-4.08%

Eggs

$1.53 ₽127

$2.53 MX$46.71

-39.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 ₽917

$7.30 MX$135

50.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.39 ₽450

$7.86 MX$145

-31.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ₽921

$12.79 MX$236

-13.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₽142

$2.90 MX$53.6

-41.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$1.44 MX$26.53

21.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$2.55 MX$47.07

-31.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 ₽232

$2.06 MX$38.03

34.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ₽67.4

$2.00 MX$36.97

-59.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₽51.1

$2.01 MX$37.07

-69.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ₽103

$1.19 MX$22.02

3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₽61.8

$1.26 MX$23.23

-41.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₽278

$4.40 MX$81.4

-24.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 ₽661

$9.59 MX$177

-17.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₽91.4

$1.59 MX$29.41

-30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₽168

$2.81 MX$51.9

-28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₽44.80

$0.57 MX$10.47

-5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 ₽225

$4.98 MX$92.1

-45.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ₽33.48

$3.50 MX$64.6

-88.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 ₽477

$5.40 MX$99.8

5.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₽70.2

$1.47 MX$27.08

-42.86%

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

$41.0K ₽3.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

95.22%

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

$37.4K ₽3.1M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

56.24%

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

$110 ₽9,172

$84.2 MX$1,556

30.50%

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

$5.49 ₽458

$23.99 MX$443

-77.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.44 ₽705

$29.02 MX$536

-70.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.62 ₽2,973

$63.0 MX$1,164

-43.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.57 ₽1,967

$29.14 MX$539

-19.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 ₽512

$4.94 MX$91.3

24.09%

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

$348 ₽29.1K

$204 MX$3,763

71.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,288 ₽441.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

34.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 ₽6,688

$43.60 MX$806

83.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 ₽4,518

$43.12 MX$797

25.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₽8,539

$75.8 MX$1,400

35.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ₽9,353

$88.6 MX$1,637

26.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 ₽38.4K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-54.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ₽26.3K

$374 MX$6,911

-15.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 ₽74.4K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-47.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 ₽46.4K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-49.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ₽185.8K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-43.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 ₽124.5K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-75.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$622 ₽51.9K

$754 MX$13.9K

-17.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

11.45

87.34%

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

Last update for Makhachkala: October 13, 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

Makhachkala

$315 31.2%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 18.7% $59

Groceries & Markets

Makhachkala

$206 20.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 25.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Makhachkala

$157 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 28% $44

Eating Out

Makhachkala

$153 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 32.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makhachkala

$124 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 10.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Makhachkala

$48 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 52.2% $25

Getting Around

Makhachkala

$6.9 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 667% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $460 in Makhachkala versus $1,008 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 21% 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 $32.00 in Makhachkala versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $258 – making Makhachkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

8 h behind Makhachkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

604,266

149,923

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Makhachkala Playa del Carmen 11,550 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Makhachkala
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,513 per month in Makhachkala and $1,816 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 Makhachkala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,009 in Makhachkala and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $348 per month in Makhachkala and $204 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 Makhachkala, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Makhachkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Makhachkala – 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 Makhachkala. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.