Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Magadan Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Magadan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,084 in Magadan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,723 in Magadan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,362 in Magadan.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 17% more expensive than Magadan, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Magadan 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$9.28 ₽672

27.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$64.0 ₽4,639

-32.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$5.73 ₽415

85.86%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$3.13 ₽227

10.22%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$1.53 ₽111

-1.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$1.07 ₽77.4

-11.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$1.41 ₽102

114.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$2.52 ₽183

82.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$1.59 ₽115

-13.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$1.05 ₽76.2

76.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$1.49 ₽108

8.05%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$2.96 ₽214

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$14.62 ₽1,059

-43.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$9.18 ₽665

-8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$16.02 ₽1,161

-33.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$1.79 ₽130

46.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$3.44 ₽249

-56.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$3.12 ₽226

-38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$2.76 ₽200

-24.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$1.36 ₽98.8

36.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$1.17 ₽85.0

93.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$0.90 ₽65.4

17.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$1.20 ₽86.9

-9.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$3.20 ₽232

29.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$12.81 ₽929

-18.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$1.03 ₽74.5

66.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$2.56 ₽185

1.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$1.00 ₽72.4

-46.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$1.56 ₽113

100.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$0.33 ₽23.78

660.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$6.30 ₽456

-50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$0.76 ₽55.4

67.11%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$34.7K ₽2.5M

-12.59%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$36.1K ₽2.6M

-34.66%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$110 ₽7,970

-24.54%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$5.94 ₽430

282.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$7.68 ₽556

283.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$35.72 ₽2,588

42.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$5.18 ₽375

-4.83%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$322 ₽23.3K

-38.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$6,965 ₽504.7K

-24.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$71.2 ₽5,161

-48.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$43.78 ₽3,172

-8.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$113 ₽8,179

-29.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$108 ₽7,789

-16.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$444 ₽32.1K

115.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$303 ₽22.0K

57.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$771 ₽55.9K

113.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$513 ₽37.2K

138.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

$1,098 ₽79.5K

-39.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

-4.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Last update for Magadan: June 9, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $444 in Magadan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Magadan pays 65% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $64.0 in Magadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $298 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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 Magadan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Magadan wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Magadan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Magadan earns 65% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $444 in Magadan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $322 in Magadan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Magadan – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,084 in Magadan versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Magadan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Magadan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Magadan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,084 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Magadan hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Magadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.