Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Aktobe

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktobe: $881 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Aktobe
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Aktobe Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Aktobe

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Aktobe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $881 in Aktobe, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Aktobe $881

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,386 in Aktobe, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Aktobe $1,386

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,891 in Aktobe, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Aktobe $1,891

Playa del Carmen costs about 37% more than Aktobe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Aktobe are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Aktobe 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$8.74 ₸3,951

23.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$40.63 ₸18.4K

5.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$7.01 ₸3,170

68.19%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.47 ₸1,115

56.68%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.26 ₸567

8.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.61 ₸275

37.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.84 ₸831

68.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.95 ₸1,335

71.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.42 ₸641

1.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.41 ₸184

443.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.93 ₸421

58.06%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.77 ₸799

42.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$7.82 ₸3,535

-6.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.68 ₸2,569

38.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.10 ₸4,115

40.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.62 ₸733

79.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.13 ₸964

-32.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.34 ₸1,058

8.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.94 ₸878

6.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.84 ₸378

138.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.40 ₸181

402.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.09 ₸494

9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.69 ₸312

82.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$2.53 ₸1,142

73.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$5.95 ₸2,689

61.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.08 ₸489

47.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.81 ₸818

55.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.20 ₸90.8

185.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$17.62 ₸7,966

57.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.08 ₸487

361.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.13 ₸511

209.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$5.53 ₸2,499

-2.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.65 ₸294

126.15%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$23.1K ₸10.4M

-9.15%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$30.6K ₸13.8M

-21.94%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$55.8 ₸25.2K

51.05%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$10.35 ₸4,680

131.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$20.93 ₸9,463

38.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$48.08 ₸21.7K

30.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$12.14 ₸5,490

140.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.44 ₸2,458

-9.19%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$220 ₸99.6K

-7.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$3,286 ₸1.5M

19.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$54.4 ₸24.6K

-19.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$55.8 ₸25.2K

-22.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$118 ₸53.3K

-35.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$100 ₸45.3K

-11.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$307 ₸138.8K

228.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$233 ₸105.5K

60.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$453 ₸204.8K

277.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$359 ₸162.3K

208.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$846 ₸382.4K

366.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$546 ₸247.0K

1029.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$548 ₸247.8K

37.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-32.65%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aktobe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Aktobe

$234 26.5% 37.6% $141

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Aktobe

$185 21% 28.4% $73

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Aktobe

$143 16.3% 29.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Aktobe

$87 9.9% 36.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Aktobe

$148 16.8% 30.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Aktobe

$59 6.7% 19.1% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Aktobe

$25 2.9% 52.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $307 in Aktobe. 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 38% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $41.00 in Aktobe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $185 – making Aktobe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇿 Aktobe

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

16:49 4:49 PM

10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

570,452

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Aktobe 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Aktobe

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 Aktobe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,321 in Aktobe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktobe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $41.00 in Aktobe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aktobe, where all-in costs run around $881, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Aktobe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aktobe – 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 Aktobe. 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.