Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $766 in Veles, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Veles $766

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,137 in Veles, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Veles $1,137

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,507 in Veles, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Veles $1,507

Playa del Carmen costs about 57% more than Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Veles are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Veles 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$8.78 MKD 483

24.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$18.09 MKD 995

139.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.43 MKD 299

116.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.56 MKD 85.7

144.23%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.33 MKD 73.3

-3.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.82 MKD 45.00

-4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.47 MKD 81.1

115.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.11 MKD 171

58.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.03 MKD 56.6

36.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.53 MKD 29.29

318.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.51 MKD 83.3

-5.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.48 MKD 136

1.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$2.97 MKD 163

144.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.93 MKD 216

95.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$15.02 MKD 826

-15.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.44 MKD 79.1

93.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.46 MKD 80.4

-6.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.34 MKD 73.7

90.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.89 MKD 104

12.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.90 MKD 49.68

115.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.83 MKD 45.91

127.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.59 MKD 32.73

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.60 MKD 32.90

96.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.23 MKD 178

33.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.22 MKD 342

59.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.02 MKD 56.2

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.44 MKD 79.3

85.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.80 MKD 43.93

-31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$23.73 MKD 1,306

12.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.10 MKD 60.7

351.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.58 MKD 31.70

474.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.67 MKD 422

-30.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.40 MKD 76.8

2.86%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

-22.03%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

-5.34%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$108 MKD 5,963

-21.77%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$16.80 MKD 924

39.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$12.21 MKD 672

134.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$25.03 MKD 1,377

127.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$17.81 MKD 980

62.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$3.37 MKD 185

52.52%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$214 MKD 11.8K

-3.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,661 MKD 311.5K

-30.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$21.40 MKD 1,177

102.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$18.01 MKD 991

130.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$73.6 MKD 4,047

0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$109 MKD 5,977

-17.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$223 MKD 12.2K

340.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$169 MKD 9,289

125.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$290 MKD 15.9K

489.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$232 MKD 12.8K

363.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,181 MKD 65.0K

233.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$940 MKD 51.7K

554.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$586 MKD 32.2K

25.38%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Veles: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Veles

$169 22% 55.7% $212

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Veles

$170 22.2% 33.1% $84

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Veles

$127 16.6% 37% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Veles

$137 17.9% 0.4% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Veles

$100 13% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Veles

$32 4.1% 52.8% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Veles

$31 4% 38.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $223 in Veles. 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 25% 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $18 in Veles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $170 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

43,716

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.4 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Veles 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Veles

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 Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 57%, 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 $1,150 in Veles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $766 in Veles. That makes Veles about 36% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Veles. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $766 in Veles to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Veles. 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.