Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Novokuznetsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,382 in Novokuznetsk, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Novokuznetsk
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Novokuznetsk Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Novokuznetsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Novokuznetsk $1,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,238 in Novokuznetsk.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Novokuznetsk $2,238

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,093 in Novokuznetsk.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Novokuznetsk $3,093

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 12% less than in Novokuznetsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Novokuznetsk is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$11.84 ₽988

-9.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$58.7 ₽4,901

-26.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.69 ₽559

76.23%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.51 ₽209

54.18%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.04 ₽170

-32.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.14 ₽95.4

-26.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$4.10 ₽342

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$5.82 ₽486

-12.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.41 ₽117

2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.81 ₽67.4

175.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.37 ₽114

7.30%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.57 ₽131

61.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.57 ₽715

-14.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.90 ₽576

13.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.35 ₽780

36.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.00 ₽167

45.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.26 ₽189

-36.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.32 ₽193

9.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$4.00 ₽334

-48.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.87 ₽72.9

129.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.59 ₽49.07

240.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.45 ₽121

-17.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.67 ₽56.3

88.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.65 ₽305

20.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$5.90 ₽493

62.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.80 ₽150

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.65 ₽222

6.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.57 ₽47.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$29.95 ₽2,500

-7.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.74 ₽145

186.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.58 ₽48.43

503.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.82 ₽68.1

79.27%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$32.5K ₽2.7M

-35.51%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$33.8K ₽2.8M

-29.37%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$221 ₽18.4K

-61.91%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$4.98 ₽415

381.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$6.36 ₽531

356.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$50.6 ₽4,225

24.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$27.86 ₽2,325

4.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.32 ₽611

-32.51%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$673 ₽56.2K

-69.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$17.4K ₽1.5M

-77.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$140 ₽11.7K

-68.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$84.2 ₽7,029

-48.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$181 ₽15.1K

-58.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$364 ₽30.4K

-75.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$452 ₽37.7K

123.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$293 ₽24.4K

27.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$955 ₽79.7K

78.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$670 ₽56.0K

64.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,205 ₽184.1K

78.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,479 ₽123.4K

317.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$561 ₽46.9K

34.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

22.75

-49.67%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Novokuznetsk: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Novokuznetsk

$293 21.2% 21.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Novokuznetsk

$219 15.8% 15.3% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Novokuznetsk

$190 13.7% 6.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Novokuznetsk

$232 16.8% 69.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Novokuznetsk

$346 25.1% 207% $233

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Novokuznetsk

$65 4.7% 10.4% $7.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Novokuznetsk

$37 2.7% 29.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $452 in Novokuznetsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 34% 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 $59.0 in Novokuznetsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $219, with Novokuznetsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇺 Novokuznetsk

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

19:44 7:44 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

544,583

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Novokuznetsk 11,720 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Novokuznetsk

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 Novokuznetsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Novokuznetsk differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $1,382 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $452 in Novokuznetsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $59.0 in Novokuznetsk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,382 in Novokuznetsk, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Novokuznetsk. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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 Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Novokuznetsk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.