Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Semey

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $707 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Semey
Learn more

Semey Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $707 in Semey, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Semey $707

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,148 in Semey, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Semey $1,148

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,588 in Semey, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Semey $1,588

Playa del Carmen costs about 70% more than Semey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Semey are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Semey 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$4.91 ₸2,204

117.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$22.29 ₸9,996

96.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$5.48 ₸2,457

115.15%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$1.72 ₸772

120.35%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$0.77 ₸343

68.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$0.49 ₸218

69.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$0.85 ₸381

270.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$1.42 ₸637

247.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.02 ₸459

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$0.36 ₸162

511.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.87 ₸837

-21.39%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$1.46 ₸654

71.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$5.23 ₸2,345

39.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$3.72 ₸1,667

113.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$5.38 ₸2,414

139.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$1.24 ₸556

133.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.71 ₸769

-19.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$1.74 ₸780

43.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$1.62 ₸724

25.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$0.41 ₸185

392.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$0.61 ₸273

211.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$1.20 ₸538

-5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$1.00 ₸447

24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$2.41 ₸1,081

77.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$7.04 ₸3,158

39.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.34 ₸603

18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$2.26 ₸1,015

21.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$0.25 ₸113

104.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$17.39 ₸7,798

57.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$1.36 ₸610

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$1.14 ₸511

185.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$6.70 ₸3,004

-19.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$0.64 ₸286

139.06%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$28.4K ₸12.8M

-25.41%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$25.8K ₸11.6M

-9.75%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$33.68 ₸15.1K

147.89%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$9.00 ₸4,035

157.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$18.82 ₸8,440

46.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$42.70 ₸19.1K

32.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$11.20 ₸5,021

151.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$4.42 ₸1,981

13.12%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$134 ₸60.2K

54.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$4,445 ₸2.0M

17.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$28.87 ₸12.9K

50.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$25.42 ₸11.4K

67.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$100 ₸45.0K

-27.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$74.8 ₸33.5K

18.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$346 ₸155.1K

187.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$224 ₸100.2K

71.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$632 ₸283.3K

165.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$489 ₸219.4K

120.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$1,054 ₸472.8K

270.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$869 ₸389.9K

605.97%

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 Semey: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Semey

$224 31.6% 41.5% $159

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Semey

$154 21.7% 40.3% $104

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Semey

$89 12.5% 55.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Semey

$62 8.7% 54.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Semey

$103 14.6% 7.2% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Semey

$52 7.3% 22.4% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Semey

$25 3.6% 49.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $346 in Semey. 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 $22 in Semey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $154 – making Semey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇿 Semey

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

00:12 12:12 AM

10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

310,456

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.99 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 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Semey 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Semey

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 Semey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,061 in Semey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Semey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $346 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $707 in Semey. That makes Semey about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Semey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Semey, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Semey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Semey is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 41% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.