Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Samarkand

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarkand: $636 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Samarkand
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Samarkand Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Samarkand

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $636 in Samarkand, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Samarkand $636

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,013 in Samarkand, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Samarkand $1,013

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,391 in Samarkand, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Samarkand $1,391

Playa del Carmen costs about 89% more than Samarkand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Samarkand are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Samarkand 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.82 UZS 81.7K

60.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$19.65 UZS 235.4K

120.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.78 UZS 57.3K

146.44%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.54 UZS 30.4K

50.00%

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

$1.28 MX$24.04

$0.76 UZS 9,055

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.68

$0.21 UZS 2,501

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.4

$1.64 UZS 19.7K

93.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$2.26 UZS 27.1K

118.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.37

$1.07 UZS 12.8K

31.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.57

$0.32 UZS 3,796

593.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.57

$1.59 UZS 19.1K

-10.69%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.30

$1.33 UZS 15.9K

89.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.19 UZS 98.1K

-11.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.19 UZS 50.1K

83.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$10.48 UZS 125.6K

21.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$0.86 UZS 10.3K

223.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.65

$1.76 UZS 21.1K

-22.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.83

$1.71 UZS 20.5K

49.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.81

$1.71 UZS 20.5K

23.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.34

$0.51 UZS 6,166

280.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.36

$0.15 UZS 1,823

1160.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.50

$0.26 UZS 3,144

342.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.11

$0.41 UZS 4,896

187.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$1.65 UZS 19.8K

160.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$3.44 UZS 41.2K

189.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.69

$1.02 UZS 12.3K

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.04 UZS 24.4K

30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.24 UZS 2,863

129.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$3.42 UZS 40.9K

678.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.2

$0.33 UZS 3,907

1406.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.32 UZS 3,893

940.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$3.40 UZS 40.7K

57.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.07

$1.19 UZS 14.3K

21.01%

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

$20.7K MX$387.5K

$17.3K UZS 207.4M

19.39%

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

$23.5K MX$440.0K

$21.1K UZS 252.9M

11.17%

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

$84.8 MX$1,590

$41.16 UZS 493.1K

106.00%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$3.92 UZS 46.9K

497.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$13.63 UZS 163.3K

110.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,070

$39.16 UZS 469.2K

45.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$6.56 UZS 78.6K

340.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.4

$3.21 UZS 38.5K

60.12%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$380 UZS 4.6M

-45.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$7,387 UZS 88.5M

-46.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$813

$20.48 UZS 245.4K

111.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$41.29 UZS 494.7K

0.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,391

$75.4 UZS 903.0K

-1.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,673

$59.2 UZS 708.7K

50.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$239 UZS 2.9M

309.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,140

$164 UZS 2.0M

132.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$457 UZS 5.5M

273.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$319 UZS 3.8M

237.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$1,248 UZS 14.9M

215.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.5K

$536 UZS 6.4M

1047.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$306 UZS 3.7M

140.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

23.31

-50.88%

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 Samarkand: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Samarkand

$164 25.8% 56.9% $217

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Samarkand

$157 24.6% 38.5% $98

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Samarkand

$116 18.3% 42.7% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Samarkand

$59 9.2% 57.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Samarkand

$88 13.9% 20.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Samarkand

$46 7.2% 32.3% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Samarkand

$6.3 1% 87.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $239 in Samarkand. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $20 in Samarkand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $157 – making Samarkand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇿 Samarkand

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

03:49 3:49 AM

10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

573,200

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UZS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 11,980 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD). 1 EUR = 13,351 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.49 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Samarkand 12,790 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Samarkand

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 Samarkand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $953 in Samarkand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samarkand, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $636 in Samarkand. That makes Samarkand about 47% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Samarkand. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Samarkand, where all-in costs run around $636, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Samarkand it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $636 in Samarkand to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Samarkand. 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.