Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Taraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $626 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Taraz
Learn more

Taraz Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $626 in Taraz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Taraz $626

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,001 in Taraz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Taraz $1,001

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,375 in Taraz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Taraz $1,375

Playa del Carmen costs about 92% more than Taraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Taraz are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Taraz 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$8.83 ₸4,023

23.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$22.00 ₸10.0K

97.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$6.68 ₸3,043

76.35%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.56 ₸713

144.23%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.92 ₸420

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.42 ₸192

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.13 ₸516

180.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.80 ₸820

173.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.08 ₸493

30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.44 ₸199

404.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.35 ₸615

5.19%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.69 ₸772

49.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.17 ₸4,634

-28.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.16 ₸2,350

49.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$8.26 ₸3,761

53.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.21 ₸549

129.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.17 ₸989

-36.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.59 ₸1,179

-1.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.37 ₸624

54.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.51 ₸233

280.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.44 ₸199

329.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.88 ₸403

30.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.80 ₸365

47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.39 ₸1,090

79.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.38 ₸1,993

127.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.08 ₸490

46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.53 ₸696

74.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.21 ₸96.4

161.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.88 ₸399

464.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.37 ₸170

800.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$4.07 ₸1,852

31.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.65 ₸298

121.54%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$27.6K ₸12.6M

-25.21%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$27.5K ₸12.5M

-14.70%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$47.53 ₸21.7K

78.39%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$8.64 ₸3,936

170.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$8.98 ₸4,089

219.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$36.00 ₸16.4K

58.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.54 ₸2,069

13.22%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$58.8 ₸26.8K

251.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$26.93 ₸12.3K

60.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$34.47 ₸15.7K

20.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$111 ₸50.4K

-32.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$53.0 ₸24.2K

68.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$263 ₸120.0K

271.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$109 ₸49.8K

248.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$435 ₸198.0K

292.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$200 ₸91.1K

437.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$858 ₸391.0K

359.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$600 ₸273.3K

926.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$282 ₸128.2K

160.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

17.83

-35.78%

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 Taraz: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Taraz

$109 17.5% 71.3% $272

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Taraz

$177 28.4% 30.3% $77

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Taraz

$124 19.8% 38.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Taraz

$65 10.4% 52.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Taraz

$101 16.2% 9.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Taraz

$45 7.2% 33% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Taraz

$3.6 * 0.6% 92.9% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $263 in Taraz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $22 in Taraz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $177 – making Taraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇿 Taraz

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

09:03 9:03 AM

10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

431,160

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 456 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Taraz 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Taraz

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 Taraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 92%, 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 $939 in Taraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taraz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $626 in Taraz. That makes Taraz about 48% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $59 in Taraz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Taraz, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Taraz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Taraz. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.