Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
Learn more

Skardu Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $426 in Skardu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Skardu $426

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $636 in Skardu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Skardu $636

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $847 in Skardu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Skardu $847

Playa del Carmen costs about 183% more than Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Skardu are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Skardu 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$1.84 PKR 509

490.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$11.31 PKR 3,132

290.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.65 PKR 1,286

152.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 PKR 753

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,415

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.68 PKR 464

119.05%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.31 PKR 84.5

332.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.18 PKR 50.3

355.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.86 PKR 238

70.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.59 PKR 164

276.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.16 PKR 320

27.59%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.20 PKR 333

107.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$5.40 PKR 1,494

39.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.50 PKR 691

218.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$5.02 PKR 1,389

150.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.10 PKR 305

152.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.54 PKR 149

164.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.79 PKR 220

231.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.55 PKR 153

289.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.28 PKR 76.3

621.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.35 PKR 97.5

468.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.46 PKR 127

147.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.38 PKR 104

215.79%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.59 PKR 441

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 295

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 PKR 563

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.10 PKR 580

102.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.16 PKR 45.37

231.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$9.06 PKR 2,509

203.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.24 PKR 343

295.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.71 PKR 196

383.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$1.83 PKR 506

193.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.18 PKR 327

22.88%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

11.01%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

-12.21%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

-2.80%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$3.60 PKR 996

551.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$13.36 PKR 3,697

112.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$15.33 PKR 4,243

305.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$7.98 PKR 2,208

259.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$4.88 PKR 1,351

4.51%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

321.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

264.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$19.16 PKR 5,304

131.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$24.54 PKR 6,793

68.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

21.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$34.15 PKR 9,451

162.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$128 PKR 35.4K

666.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

376.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$250 PKR 69.3K

571.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$139 PKR 38.4K

689.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

269.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$494 PKR 136.8K

1141.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-11.92%

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 Skardu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Skardu

$78 18.4% 79% $294

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Skardu

$90 21.2% 65.1% $168

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Skardu

$51 11.9% 74.7% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Skardu

$105 24.6% 23.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Skardu

$62 14.5% 44.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Skardu

$25 5.9% 65.3% $47

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Skardu

$15 3.4% 71.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $128 in Skardu. 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 $11.00 in Skardu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $90.0 – making Skardu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

19:54 7:54 PM

10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

260,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Skardu 13,540 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Skardu

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 Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 183%, 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 $638 in Skardu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skardu, 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 $426 in Skardu. That's a gap of about 183%.

Public transport costs about 204% less in Skardu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Skardu, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Skardu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Skardu. 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.