Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Karaganda

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $929 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
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Karaganda Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $929 in Karaganda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Karaganda $929

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,498 in Karaganda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Karaganda $1,498

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,067 in Karaganda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Karaganda $2,067

Playa del Carmen costs about 30% more than Karaganda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Karaganda are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Karaganda 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$9.92 ₸4,483

9.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$34.77 ₸15.7K

27.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.62 ₸2,540

109.25%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.90 ₸861

93.68%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.87 ₸392

54.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.64 ₸290

28.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.37 ₸618

123.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.81 ₸1,271

75.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.33 ₸602

10.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.48 ₸219

362.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.34 ₸605

10.45%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.87 ₸845

33.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.37 ₸6,043

-43.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.55 ₸2,510

43.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.16 ₸5,043

12.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.51 ₸683

84.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.89 ₸857

-24.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.78 ₸1,255

-5.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.09 ₸944

2.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.63 ₸284

220.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.54 ₸245

268.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.04 ₸469

9.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.70 ₸315

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.18 ₸985

95.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.40 ₸3,798

19.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.36 ₸616

13.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.11 ₸955

26.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.23 ₸104

130.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$15.45 ₸6,982

78.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.23 ₸558

298.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.24 ₸562

176.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$3.22 ₸1,457

67.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.52 ₸236

178.85%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.6K ₸9.8M

-2.23%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$32.3K ₸14.6M

-28.66%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$72.6 ₸32.8K

17.62%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$9.86 ₸4,457

137.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$11.82 ₸5,342

140.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$45.55 ₸20.6K

36.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$18.09 ₸8,179

58.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.29 ₸2,390

-3.59%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$133 ₸59.9K

51.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$60.5 ₸27.4K

-26.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$57.6 ₸26.0K

-28.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$79.0 ₸35.7K

-7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$85.7 ₸38.7K

4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$400 ₸180.6K

145.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$274 ₸123.7K

36.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$730 ₸330.1K

130.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$543 ₸245.7K

101.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,053 ₸475.8K

275.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$695 ₸314.0K

783.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$566 ₸256.1K

30.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

19.25

-40.52%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Karaganda: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Karaganda

$274 29.5% 26.6% $99

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Karaganda

$216 23.3% 16.4% $42

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Karaganda

$138 14.8% 31.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Karaganda

$94 10.2% 31.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Karaganda

$127 13.7% 14% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Karaganda

$56 6% 22.5% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Karaganda

$24 2.6% 53.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $400 in Karaganda. 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 30% 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $35.00 in Karaganda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $216 – making Karaganda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

17:38 5:38 PM

11 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

520,486

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Karaganda 11,940 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Karaganda

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 Karaganda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $929 in Karaganda – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,393 in Karaganda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 78% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $133 in Karaganda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $929, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Karaganda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $929 in Karaganda to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Karaganda. 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.