Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saryagash

For one person, living is cheaper in Saryagash: $881 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Saryagash, Kazakhstan
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Saryagash
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$881
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $881 in Saryagash, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Saryagash $881

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,429 in Saryagash, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Saryagash $1,429

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,977 in Saryagash, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Saryagash $1,977

Playa del Carmen costs about 37% more than Saryagash, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Saryagash are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Saryagash 35% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Saryagash
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$200
$9.71 ₸4,356
9.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$819
$33.93 ₸15.2K
29.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$220
$7.73 ₸3,467
52.52%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.8
$2.38 ₸1,065
59.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.26
$1.06 ₸475
22.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.59
$0.59 ₸267
40.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.9
$1.30 ₸583
142.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.3
$2.08 ₸934
137.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Saryagash
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.38 ₸621
2.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.07
$0.48 ₸216
358.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.54
$1.58 ₸708
-6.96%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.70
$1.76 ₸790
42.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$10.31 ₸4,623
-29.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$149
$5.76 ₸2,584
38.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$241
$8.92 ₸4,002
44.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.2
$1.47 ₸658
97.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.87
$2.20 ₸986
-37.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.59
$2.34 ₸1,050
6.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.97
$2.19 ₸984
-7.31%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.88
$0.71 ₸317
184.51%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.60
$0.52 ₸234
265.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.41
$1.20 ₸539
-5.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.17
$0.98 ₸440
26.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.9
$2.46 ₸1,102
73.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$184
$7.91 ₸3,547
24.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.66
$1.18 ₸531
34.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.3
$1.97 ₸883
39.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Saryagash
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.63
$0.21 ₸94.1
142.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$512
$16.91 ₸7,584
61.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.1
$1.09 ₸490
336.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.8
$0.76 ₸341
327.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$6.08 ₸2,725
-11.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.58
$0.64 ₸285
139.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$396.8K
$28.1K ₸12.6M
-24.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$435.1K
$30.3K ₸13.6M
-23.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Saryagash
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,562
$67.4 ₸30.2K
23.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$434
$10.10 ₸4,527
129.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$516
$15.76 ₸7,068
75.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Saryagash
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,056
$42.34 ₸19.0K
33.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$527
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.5
$5.09 ₸2,284
-1.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Saryagash
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,873
$145 ₸65.2K
42.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.8K
$4,404 ₸2.0M
18.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Saryagash
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$813
$57.3 ₸25.7K
-24.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$796
$45.68 ₸20.5K
-6.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,361
$94.6 ₸42.4K
-23.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,653
$89.9 ₸40.3K
-1.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Saryagash
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.6K
$344 ₸154.4K
188.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,152
$231 ₸103.8K
65.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.3K
$670 ₸300.5K
149.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.2K
$495 ₸221.9K
118.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.1K
$1,085 ₸486.4K
260.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.8K
$855 ₸383.5K
617.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Saryagash
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
19.25
-40.52%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saryagash: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Saryagash
$231 39.5% $151
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Saryagash
$205 20.4% $53
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Saryagash
$147 26.8% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Saryagash
$93 30.6% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Saryagash
$129 16.3% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Saryagash
$53 21% $14
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Saryagash
$23 55.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $344 in Saryagash. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $34 in Saryagash. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $205 – making Saryagash the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇰🇿 Saryagash
🕒 Local time
14:12 2:12 PM
00:12 12:12 AM
10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Saryagash 12,650 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Saryagash

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 Saryagash: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Saryagash cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,321 in Saryagash. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Saryagash, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $344 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Saryagash?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $881 in Saryagash. That makes Saryagash about 27% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 38% less in Saryagash. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Saryagash?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Saryagash, where all-in costs run around $881, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Saryagash it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Saryagash more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Saryagash – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Saryagash is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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