Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $1,073 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Shakhty, Russia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Shakhty
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,073
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,073 in Shakhty, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Shakhty $1,073

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,683 in Shakhty, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Shakhty $1,683

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,293 in Shakhty, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Shakhty $2,293

Playa del Carmen costs about 12% more than Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Shakhty are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Shakhty 21% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Shakhty
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$11.55 ₽932
-5.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$37.49 ₽3,024
15.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$6.29 ₽507
87.28%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$2.71 ₽218
40.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$1.12 ₽90.2
14.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$0.62 ₽50.0
25.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$1.77 ₽143
79.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$3.06 ₽247
61.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Shakhty
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.12 ₽90.1
25.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$0.75 ₽60.4
196.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$1.38 ₽111
2.90%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$1.56 ₽125
61.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$11.22 ₽905
-35.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$5.41 ₽436
42.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$11.57 ₽933
9.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$1.78 ₽144
56.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.79 ₽144
-23.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$1.75 ₽141
45.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$2.78 ₽224
-23.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$0.78 ₽63.3
148.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$0.62 ₽49.87
204.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$1.30 ₽105
-11.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.71 ₽57.3
66.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$3.02 ₽244
42.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$7.73 ₽623
28.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$1.11 ₽89.9
42.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$1.99 ₽161
34.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Shakhty
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$0.53 ₽42.60
3.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$27.94 ₽2,253
-4.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$2.36 ₽191
110.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$0.38 ₽30.39
776.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$5.90 ₽476
-9.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$0.82 ₽66.2
75.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$52.2K ₽4.2M
-60.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$39.9K ₽3.2M
-41.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Shakhty
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$123 ₽9,905
-30.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$6.27 ₽506
273.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$8.60 ₽693
233.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Shakhty
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$36.16 ₽2,916
57.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$23.72 ₽1,913
21.88%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$6.28 ₽506
-18.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Shakhty
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$357 ₽28.8K
-42.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$6,390 ₽515.4K
-38.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Shakhty
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$82.4 ₽6,642
-47.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$53.0 ₽4,275
-21.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$121 ₽9,776
-38.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$106 ₽8,524
-15.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Shakhty
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$481 ₽38.8K
103.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$315 ₽25.4K
20.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$900 ₽72.5K
89.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$584 ₽47.1K
84.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$2,280 ₽183.9K
72.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$1,516 ₽122.3K
306.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Shakhty
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
21.45
-46.62%

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 Shakhty: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Shakhty
$315 17.2% $66
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Shakhty
$209 18.1% $46
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Shakhty
$166 18.1% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Shakhty
$138 0.6% $0.8
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Shakhty
$163 45.9% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Shakhty
$49 27.6% $19
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Shakhty
$34 32% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $481 in Shakhty. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Shakhty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $209 – making Shakhty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇷🇺 Shakhty
🕒 Local time
15:38 3:38 PM
23:38 11:38 PM
8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
235,492
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Shakhty 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shakhty cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,610 in Shakhty. 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 Shakhty, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Shakhty?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,073 in Shakhty. That makes Shakhty about 11% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 5% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $2,000 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Shakhty?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,073 in Shakhty, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Shakhty?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,073 in Shakhty to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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