Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sveti Nikole

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $858 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
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Sveti Nikole Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$858

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sveti Nikole

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $858 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Sveti Nikole $858

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,309 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Sveti Nikole $1,309

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,760 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Sveti Nikole $1,760

Playa del Carmen costs about 41% more than Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sveti Nikole are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Sveti Nikole 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$8.81 MKD 481

22.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$32.98 MKD 1,799

30.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.36 MKD 292

119.96%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.61 MKD 88.0

140.37%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.38 MKD 75.5

-0.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.03 MKD 56.2

-18.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.51 MKD 82.2

105.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$1.85 MKD 101

174.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.33 MKD 72.6

8.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.55 MKD 30.14

305.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.17 MKD 63.8

25.64%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.43 MKD 132

4.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.29 MKD 507

-21.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$4.62 MKD 252

70.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$11.58 MKD 632

10.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.29 MKD 70.1

124.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.30 MKD 71.1

10.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.28 MKD 69.9

99.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.74 MKD 94.7

18.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.74 MKD 40.20

170.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.14 MKD 62.2

76.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.86 MKD 46.91

38.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.40 MKD 21.64

215.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.07 MKD 168

43.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$6.48 MKD 354

47.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.02 MKD 55.9

55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.49 MKD 81.3

88.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.71 MKD 38.82

-19.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$23.57 MKD 1,286

18.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.46 MKD 79.8

241.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.01 MKD 55.2

246.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$3.65 MKD 199

47.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.40 MKD 76.3

5.00%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$31.4K MKD 1.7M

-33.23%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

-13.77%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$127 MKD 6,901

-33.44%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$15.70 MKD 857

52.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$11.97 MKD 653

142.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$21.94 MKD 1,197

187.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$19.74 MKD 1,077

47.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.10 MKD 278

-3.14%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$280 MKD 15.3K

-27.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$3,095 MKD 168.8K

27.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$72.7 MKD 3,968

-40.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$31.84 MKD 1,737

35.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$82.0 MKD 4,474

-7.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$87.4 MKD 4,765

1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$313 MKD 17.1K

222.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$207 MKD 11.3K

80.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$451 MKD 24.6K

278.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$315 MKD 17.2K

250.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,523 MKD 83.1K

159.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,169 MKD 63.8K

427.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$539 MKD 29.4K

40.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.23

170.69%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Sveti Nikole

$207 24.2% 44.5% $167

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.1% 30.1% $78

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Sveti Nikole

$127 14.8% 37.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Sveti Nikole

$154 18% 12.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.4% 9.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Sveti Nikole

$32 3.8% 55.9% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.8% 37.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $313 in Sveti Nikole. 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 40% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $33.00 in Sveti Nikole. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $181 – making Sveti Nikole the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

13,220

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sveti Nikole 9,960 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sveti Nikole

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 Sveti Nikole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,286 in Sveti Nikole. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sveti Nikole, 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $858 in Sveti Nikole. That's a gap of about 41%.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Sveti Nikole. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sveti Nikole, where all-in costs run around $858, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Sveti Nikole it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sveti Nikole – 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 Sveti Nikole. 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.