Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kaka

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.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Kaka
Learn more

Kaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Kaka

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$2,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper than Kaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$31.81 TMT 107

-65.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$85.5 TMT 287

-47.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$12.84 TMT 43.13

-7.17%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$6.59 TMT 22.13

-42.34%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.58 TMT 5.31

-17.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.83 TMT 2.79

3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$5.61 TMT 18.85

-42.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$13.77 TMT 46.27

-63.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$4.54 TMT 15.24

-67.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.05 TMT 6.88

13.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$6.01 TMT 20.20

-76.04%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$5.90 TMT 19.82

-58.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$37.81 TMT 127

-79.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$20.30 TMT 68.2

-61.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$22.71 TMT 76.3

-43.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$4.93 TMT 16.56

-40.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$8.31 TMT 27.93

-82.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$7.44 TMT 25.01

-65.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$3.79 TMT 12.72

-43.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.32 TMT 7.80

-15.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.44 TMT 4.82

34.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$2.63 TMT 8.84

-56.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.11 TMT 3.74

9.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$26.04 TMT 87.5

-83.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$41.38 TMT 139

-76.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$5.06 TMT 17.01

-69.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.82 TMT 9.49

-3.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$2.79 TMT 9.37

75.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.89 TMT 2.98

295.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$8.71 TMT 29.28

-34.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.41 TMT 1.39

275.61%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$43.3K TMT 145.5K

-50.97%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$56.1K TMT 188.6K

-56.37%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$561 TMT 1,886

-85.11%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$56.9 TMT 191

-57.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$102 TMT 344

-71.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$8.35 TMT 28.06

-39.04%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$22.89 TMT 76.9

807.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$24.5K TMT 82.2K

-83.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$54.7 TMT 184

-18.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$114 TMT 384

-63.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$357 TMT 1,201

-78.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$190 TMT 638

-51.84%

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 %)

11.45

9.5

20.53%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kaka: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Kaka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Kaka

$667 30.7% 156% $407

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Kaka

$437 20.1% 114% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Kaka

$721 33.2% 426% $584

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Kaka

$322 14.8% 182% $208

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Kaka

$17 * 0.8% 77.7% $58

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Kaka

$7.2 * 0.3% 86.1% $45

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

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇲 Kaka

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

15:32 3:32 PM

10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

33,315

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.266 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

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 = 0.266 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kaka

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 Kaka: 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 $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,301 in Kaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $2,201 in Kaka. That's a gap of about 81%.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in Playa del Carmen and $22.89 in Kaka. 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.