Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Prilep

For one person, living is cheaper in Prilep: $730 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Prilep
Learn more

Prilep Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Prilep

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $730 in Prilep, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Prilep $730

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,110 in Prilep, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Prilep $1,110

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,489 in Prilep, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Prilep $1,489

Playa del Carmen costs about 65% more than Prilep, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Prilep are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Prilep 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$3.90 MKD 215

180.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$27.36 MKD 1,506

58.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.77 MKD 317

104.16%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.43 MKD 78.6

166.43%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.61 MKD 88.5

-20.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.18 MKD 64.8

-33.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.58 MKD 87.1

100.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.96 MKD 108

151.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.13 MKD 62.3

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.67 MKD 37.11

231.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.55 MKD 85.4

-8.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.04 MKD 112

23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.95 MKD 383

4.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.88 MKD 323

30.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.23 MKD 618

13.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$0.85 MKD 46.54

227.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.34 MKD 73.8

2.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.00 MKD 55.2

155.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.24 MKD 68.3

70.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.75 MKD 41.44

158.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.85 MKD 46.78

122.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.58 MKD 32.04

98.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.44 MKD 24.38

168.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.89 MKD 159

48.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$5.09 MKD 280

95.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.01 MKD 55.4

56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.18 MKD 64.9

126.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.35 MKD 19.08

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$18.30 MKD 1,007

45.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.11 MKD 60.8

347.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.60 MKD 33.15

455.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.47 MKD 356

-17.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.47 MKD 81.1

-2.04%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

-37.56%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

-11.59%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$123 MKD 6,781

-31.20%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$17.30 MKD 952

35.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$13.82 MKD 760

107.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$20.03 MKD 1,102

184.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$8.23 MKD 453

251.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$5.12 MKD 282

0.39%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$277 MKD 15.2K

-25.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$1,158 MKD 63.7K

239.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$37.29 MKD 2,052

16.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$36.81 MKD 2,025

12.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$67.2 MKD 3,697

10.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$80.1 MKD 4,407

11.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$229 MKD 12.6K

328.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$166 MKD 9,116

129.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$497 MKD 27.3K

243.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$276 MKD 15.2K

289.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,029 MKD 56.6K

283.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$807 MKD 44.4K

663.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$603 MKD 33.2K

21.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.23

170.69%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Prilep: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Prilep

$166 22.7% 56.5% $215

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Prilep

$168 23% 34% $87

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Prilep

$89 12.1% 56.2% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Prilep

$154 21.1% 12.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Prilep

$100 13.6% 10.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Prilep

$30 4.2% 55% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Prilep

$24 3.3% 52.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $229 in Prilep. 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 22% 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $27 in Prilep. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $168 – making Prilep the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇰 Prilep

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

03:52 3:52 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

63,308

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Prilep 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Prilep

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 Prilep: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,096 in Prilep. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Prilep, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $730 in Prilep. That makes Prilep about 39% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Prilep. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $730 in Prilep to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Prilep. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.