Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,085 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
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Qapshaghay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,085

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,085 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Qapshaghay $1,085

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,623 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Qapshaghay $1,623

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,161 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Qapshaghay $2,161

Playa del Carmen costs about 11% more than Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Qapshaghay are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Qapshaghay 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$10.91 ₸4,930

-0.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$22.55 ₸10.2K

96.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.49 ₸2,932

81.20%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.73 ₸782

112.72%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.99 ₸445

35.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.69 ₸310

18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.37 ₸619

123.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.35 ₸611

265.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.72 ₸778

-14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.48 ₸216

362.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.08 ₸940

-28.85%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.48 ₸1,121

0.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$12.49 ₸5,646

-39.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.49 ₸2,934

22.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.71 ₸4,841

17.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.79 ₸809

55.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.39 ₸1,079

-40.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.03 ₸1,369

-13.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.79 ₸1,262

-23.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.80 ₸363

152.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.55 ₸249

261.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.60 ₸723

-28.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.04 ₸471

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.63 ₸736

161.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$11.11 ₸5,021

-9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.26 ₸572

22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.48 ₸1,119

7.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.16 ₸70.2

231.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$17.23 ₸7,791

59.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.87 ₸393

463.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.70 ₸315

390.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$4.03 ₸1,822

33.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.56 ₸254

158.93%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-6.16%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$29.7K ₸13.4M

-22.57%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$90.0 ₸40.7K

-5.20%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$10.64 ₸4,809

120.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.21 ₸8,232

56.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$41.59 ₸18.8K

49.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.82 ₸3,083

-25.22%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$146 ₸66.2K

37.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$4,474 ₸2.0M

-11.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$91.5 ₸41.4K

-51.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$45.71 ₸20.7K

-9.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$143 ₸64.5K

-49.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$132 ₸59.6K

-32.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$450 ₸203.3K

117.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$312 ₸141.1K

19.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$721 ₸325.8K

133.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$487 ₸220.2K

124.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,085 ₸490.3K

264.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$872 ₸394.4K

603.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

20.65

-44.55%

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 Qapshaghay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Qapshaghay

$312 28.8% 16.3% $61

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Qapshaghay

$248 22.8% 4.2% $11

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Qapshaghay

$144 13.2% 28.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Qapshaghay

$119 11% 13.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Qapshaghay

$185 17.1% 66% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1% 23.7% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Qapshaghay

$22 2.1% 57% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $450 in Qapshaghay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $23.00 in Qapshaghay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $248 – making Qapshaghay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

16:51 4:51 PM

11 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

42,167

💱 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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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Qapshaghay 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Qapshaghay

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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,627 in Qapshaghay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,085 in Qapshaghay. That's a gap of about 11%.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Qapshaghay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qapshaghay, where all-in costs run around $1,085, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Qapshaghay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qapshaghay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Qapshaghay. 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.