Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Akbuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Akbuk: $1,121 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Akbuk, Turkey
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Akbuk
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,121
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Akbuk

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Akbuk actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,121 in Akbuk, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Akbuk $1,121

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,743 in Akbuk, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Akbuk $1,743

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,366 in Akbuk, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Akbuk $2,366

Playa del Carmen costs about 7% more than Akbuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Akbuk are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Akbuk 18% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Akbuk
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$9.96 ₺496
9.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$30.20 ₺1,505
43.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$9.00 ₺448
30.89%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$3.47 ₺173
9.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$2.18 ₺109
-41.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$0.36 ₺18.05
116.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$4.00 ₺199
-20.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$6.13 ₺306
-19.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Akbuk
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.06 ₺52.7
33.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$0.95 ₺47.30
133.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$2.39 ₺119
-40.59%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$2.18 ₺108
15.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$13.70 ₺683
-47.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$6.00 ₺299
28.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$24.25 ₺1,209
-47.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$1.54 ₺76.6
80.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$2.15 ₺107
-36.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$1.46 ₺72.8
74.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$1.31 ₺65.3
61.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$0.82 ₺40.63
136.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$0.71 ₺35.57
166.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$0.98 ₺48.65
17.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.71 ₺35.19
66.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$2.87 ₺143
49.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$11.82 ₺589
-15.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$2.15 ₺107
-26.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$3.06 ₺152
-12.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Akbuk
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$0.71 ₺35.39
-22.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$23.74 ₺1,183
12.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$0.81 ₺40.57
513.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$0.68 ₺34.01
389.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$8.05 ₺401
-33.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$1.09 ₺54.5
32.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$44.1K ₺2.2M
-53.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$41.8K ₺2.1M
-43.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Akbuk
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$78.2 ₺3,897
8.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$10.46 ₺521
123.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$23.35 ₺1,164
22.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Akbuk
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$51.1 ₺2,547
11.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$24.54 ₺1,223
17.81%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$7.07 ₺352
-27.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Akbuk
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$726 ₺36.2K
-71.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$13.1K ₺651.8K
-69.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Akbuk
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$73.2 ₺3,648
-40.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$36.65 ₺1,827
13.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$89.9 ₺4,482
-17.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$119 ₺5,917
-24.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Akbuk
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$407 ₺20.3K
140.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$307 ₺15.3K
24.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$745 ₺37.1K
129.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$546 ₺27.2K
96.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$1,300 ₺64.8K
203.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$1,025 ₺51.1K
500.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Akbuk
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
$731 ₺36.5K
0.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
38.25
-70.07%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Akbuk: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Akbuk
$307 19.4% $74
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Akbuk
$272 6.7% $17
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Akbuk
$191 5.7% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Akbuk
$112 18.2% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Akbuk
$143 28.3% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Akbuk
$65 3.1% $2.1
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Akbuk
$31 38.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $407 in Akbuk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $30 in Akbuk. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $272 in Akbuk – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇹🇷 Akbuk
🕒 Local time
18:47 6:47 PM
02:47 2:47 AM
8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Akbuk 10,860 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Akbuk

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
Playa del Carmen vs Akbuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Akbuk cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,682 in Akbuk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Akbuk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $407 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Akbuk?
Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Akbuk?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $30 in Akbuk. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Akbuk?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,121 in Akbuk, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Akbuk?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,121 in Akbuk to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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