Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Struga

For one person, living is cheaper in Struga: $861 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Struga
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Struga Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Struga

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$861

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $861 in Struga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Struga $861

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,317 in Struga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Struga $1,317

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,772 in Struga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Struga $1,772

Playa del Carmen costs about 40% more than Struga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Struga are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Struga 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.12 MKD 391

53.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$29.20 MKD 1,606

48.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.43 MKD 299

116.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.56 MKD 85.9

144.23%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.82 MKD 100

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.20 MKD 65.8

-35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.68 MKD 148

18.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.03 MKD 166

62.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.23 MKD 67.5

14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.73 MKD 40.01

204.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.62 MKD 88.8

-12.35%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.96 MKD 108

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$7.41 MKD 408

-2.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.24 MKD 343

23.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$12.68 MKD 697

0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.47 MKD 81.1

89.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.35 MKD 74.4

1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.25 MKD 68.7

104.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.54 MKD 84.7

37.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.89 MKD 49.03

117.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.85 MKD 46.50

122.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.59 MKD 32.64

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.55 MKD 30.24

114.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.50 MKD 193

22.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.65 MKD 256

113.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.06 MKD 58.5

49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.42 MKD 78.0

88.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.88 MKD 48.66

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$55.3 MKD 3,044

-51.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.07 MKD 58.7

364.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.61 MKD 33.28

445.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$5.01 MKD 276

6.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.43 MKD 78.6

0.70%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

-37.57%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$25.9K MKD 1.4M

-9.45%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$100 MKD 5,507

-15.31%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$10.81 MKD 595

116.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$18.92 MKD 1,040

51.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$20.03 MKD 1,102

184.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$11.44 MKD 629

152.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.46 MKD 410

-31.10%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$118 MKD 6,501

74.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$1,583 MKD 87.1K

148.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$85.7 MKD 4,713

-49.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$31.08 MKD 1,709

33.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$71.0 MKD 3,905

4.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$52.5 MKD 2,888

69.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$278 MKD 15.3K

252.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$217 MKD 12.0K

75.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$441 MKD 24.3K

287.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$356 MKD 19.6K

202.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,544 MKD 84.9K

155.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,364 MKD 75.0K

351.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$852 MKD 46.9K

-13.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.75

205.33%

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 Struga: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Struga

$217 25.2% 42.9% $164

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Struga

$184 21.4% 27.7% $70

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Struga

$124 14.4% 39% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Struga

$130 15.1% 5.1% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Struga

$108 12.6% 3.2% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Struga

$35 4.1% 48.1% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Struga

$63 7.3% 24.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $278 in Struga. 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 16% higher in Struga, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $29 in Struga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $184 – making Struga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇰 Struga

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

06:33 6:33 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

33,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Struga 9,900 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Struga

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 Struga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,292 in Struga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Struga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $278 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $861 in Struga. That makes Struga about 29% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Struga, where all-in costs run around $861, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Struga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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