Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Stavropol

For one person, living is cheaper in Stavropol: $889 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Stavropol
🇷🇺 Russia
$889
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $889 in Stavropol, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Stavropol $889

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,374 in Stavropol, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Stavropol $1,374

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,859 in Stavropol, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Stavropol $1,859

Playa del Carmen costs about 35% more than Stavropol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Stavropol are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Stavropol 34% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Stavropol
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$10.44 ₽872
4.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$25.11 ₽2,096
76.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$5.93 ₽495
98.31%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$2.56 ₽213
43.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$0.98 ₽82.2
36.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$0.44 ₽36.50
86.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$1.19 ₽99.4
157.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$2.14 ₽179
130.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Stavropol
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.18 ₽98.3
24.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$0.74 ₽61.5
200.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$1.20 ₽100
23.33%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$1.43 ₽119
74.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$8.48 ₽708
-11.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$4.94 ₽412
61.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$7.83 ₽654
60.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$1.49 ₽124
86.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$2.04 ₽170
-29.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$1.65 ₽137
58.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$2.53 ₽211
-15.42%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$0.89 ₽74.6
126.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$0.63 ₽52.3
215.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$0.83 ₽69.6
37.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.69 ₽57.3
73.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$2.40 ₽201
77.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$6.17 ₽515
62.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$0.94 ₽78.5
63.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$1.54 ₽129
72.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Stavropol
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$0.62 ₽51.5
-14.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$1.34 ₽112
265.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$0.17 ₽14.37
1917.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$2.46 ₽205
118.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$0.81 ₽67.8
79.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$52.1K ₽4.3M
-59.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$38.7K ₽3.2M
-40.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Stavropol
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$109 ₽9,069
-21.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$6.71 ₽560
249.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$8.52 ₽711
233.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Stavropol
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$32.40 ₽2,704
91.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$6.19 ₽516
-17.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Stavropol
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$369 ₽30.8K
-45.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Stavropol
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$74.9 ₽6,253
-40.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$46.18 ₽3,854
-10.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$74.8 ₽6,246
-2.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$135 ₽11.3K
-33.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Stavropol
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$400 ₽33.4K
144.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$241 ₽20.2K
54.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$646 ₽53.9K
160.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$453 ₽37.8K
141.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$1,675 ₽139.8K
135.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$1,166 ₽97.3K
426.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Stavropol
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$581 ₽48.5K
26.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
19.83
-42.26%

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 Stavropol: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Stavropol
$241 35.2% $131
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Stavropol
$178 31.2% $81
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Stavropol
$148 26.1% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Stavropol
$124 9.7% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Stavropol
$149 33.3% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Stavropol
$45 38.2% $28
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Stavropol
$4.7 * 91% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $400 in Stavropol. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $25.00 in Stavropol. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $178 – making Stavropol the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇷🇺 Stavropol
🕒 Local time
11:12 11:12 AM
19:12 7:12 PM
8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
550,147
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Stavropol 11,080 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Stavropol

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 Stavropol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stavropol cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 35%, 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 $1,334 in Stavropol. 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 Stavropol, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Stavropol?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $889 in Stavropol. That's a gap of about 35%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $369 in Stavropol. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Stavropol?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Stavropol, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Stavropol it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Stavropol more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Stavropol – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Stavropol?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Stavropol. 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.

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