Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kostanay

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostanay: $962 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
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Kostanay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$962

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $962 in Kostanay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kostanay $962

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,452 in Kostanay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Kostanay $1,452

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,943 in Kostanay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Kostanay $1,943

Playa del Carmen costs about 25% more than Kostanay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kostanay are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Kostanay 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$5.60 ₸2,532

93.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$28.73 ₸13.0K

53.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.05 ₸3,186

66.81%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.18 ₸988

68.81%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.12 ₸506

19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.86 ₸389

-4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.45 ₸656

111.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.61 ₸1,181

89.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.22 ₸550

20.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.52 ₸235

326.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.05 ₸474

40.95%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.27 ₸1,026

9.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.21 ₸4,614

-26.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.72 ₸2,585

39.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.33 ₸3,767

50.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.61 ₸730

72.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.37 ₸1,071

-39.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.84 ₸831

42.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.32 ₸1,047

-7.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.58 ₸264

248.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.68 ₸308

192.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.21 ₸548

-5.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.88 ₸399

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.51 ₸1,135

69.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.47 ₸3,827

18.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.10 ₸495

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.37 ₸1,071

12.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.31 ₸142

70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.95 ₸430

415.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.14 ₸516

200.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$6.09 ₸2,755

-11.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.58 ₸263

150.00%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-30.15%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$30.5K ₸13.8M

-24.59%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$76.8 ₸34.7K

11.12%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$10.97 ₸4,961

113.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$15.99 ₸7,229

77.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$48.26 ₸21.8K

28.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$20.11 ₸9,091

42.62%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$4.40 ₸1,989

15.91%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$209 ₸94.5K

-3.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$6,498 ₸2.9M

-39.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$96.3 ₸43.5K

-53.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$53.8 ₸24.3K

-23.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$107 ₸48.6K

-32.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$93.7 ₸42.3K

-4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$402 ₸181.7K

143.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$321 ₸144.9K

16.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$598 ₸270.1K

181.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$494 ₸223.4K

121.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,218 ₸550.5K

224.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$925 ₸418.0K

563.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$657 ₸297.0K

12.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

18.5

-38.11%

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 Kostanay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Kostanay

$321 33.4% 14% $52

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Kostanay

$202 21% 21.9% $57

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Kostanay

$113 11.7% 43.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kostanay

$104 10.8% 24.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kostanay

$158 16.4% 41.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Kostanay

$57 5.9% 21.2% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Kostanay

$7.9 * 0.8% 84.7% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $402 in Kostanay. 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 12% 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 $29.00 in Kostanay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $202 – making Kostanay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

19:23 7:23 PM

11 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

264,446

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kostanay 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kostanay

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 Kostanay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 25% more than Kostanay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,443 in Kostanay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $29.00 in Kostanay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kostanay, where all-in costs run around $962, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Kostanay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kostanay costs $962 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Kostanay. 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.