Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Khost

For one person, living is cheaper in Khost: $403 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Khost
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Khost Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Khost

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $403 in Khost.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Khost $403

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $593 in Khost.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Khost $593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $783 in Khost.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Khost $783

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 198% more expensive than in Khost, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Khost 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$2.70 ؋175

295.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$7.50 ؋487

484.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$4.71 ؋306

150.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 ؋152

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ؋122

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.11 ؋72.3

241.44%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.49 ؋32.02

165.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.16 ؋10.36

418.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$0.82 ؋53.1

71.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$0.25 ؋16.29

780.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.80 ؋117

-18.33%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.56 ؋101

60.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$4.46 ؋290

63.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$3.94 ؋256

101.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$6.59 ؋429

95.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$0.68 ؋43.99

326.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$0.89 ؋58.0

55.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$0.94 ؋60.9

164.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$0.52 ؋33.60

290.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$0.65 ؋42.28

210.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$0.47 ؋30.69

304.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.28 ؋18.12

307.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.37 ؋23.76

235.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ؋51.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.41 ؋156

77.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.48 ؋31.18

6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$18.31 ؋1,190

49.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.81 ؋52.4

487.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.45 ؋29.16

622.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$2.27 ؋148

137.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.08 ؋70.5

41.67%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$8,337 ؋541.9K

154.44%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$33.8K ؋2.2M

-31.20%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$42.02 ؋2,732

98.69%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$13.11 ؋852

76.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$95.6 ؋6,217

-71.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$7.79 ؋506

624.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$6.29 ؋409

348.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$2.27 ؋148

120.26%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$20.48 ؋1,331

911.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$1,034 ؋67.2K

406.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$10.84 ؋705

300.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$15.86 ؋1,031

168.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$57.4 ؋3,734

26.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$25.23 ؋1,640

250.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$31.24 ؋2,030

3084.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$15.55 ؋1,011

2359.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$77.3 ؋5,026

2065.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$46.16 ؋3,000

2240.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$188 ؋12.2K

343.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Khost: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Khost

$16 3.9% 95.9% $367

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Khost

$100 24.9% 61% $157

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Khost

$52 12.8% 74.2% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Khost

$151 37.4% 12.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Khost

$49 12.2% 55.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Khost

$12 3.1% 81.4% $54

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Khost

$23 5.8% 53.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $31 in Khost. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $7 in Khost for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $100 per month, with Khost cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇫 Khost

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

14:48 2:48 PM

9 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,987

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 65 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.87 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Khost 13,540 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Khost

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 Khost: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khost is about 66% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 4.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $31 in Khost. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Khost – a meal for two runs $7 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $403 in Khost – Khost is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $403 in Khost versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Khost but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Khost the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Khost gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.