Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qapshaghay and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,085 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
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Qapshaghay Living Index
59

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

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Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,085

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Qapshaghay and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,077 per month in Qapshaghay vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Qapshaghay $1,077
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,621 per month in Qapshaghay vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Qapshaghay $1,621
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,166 per month in Qapshaghay vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Qapshaghay $2,166
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Qapshaghay is about 11% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Qapshaghay and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Qapshaghay 20% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 ₸4,930

$10.86 MX$201

0.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.55 ₸10.2K

$44.21 MX$817

-48.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 ₸2,932

$11.76 MX$217

-44.81%

Cappuccino

$1.73 ₸782

$3.68 MX$68.0

-52.99%

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

$0.99 ₸445

$1.34 MX$24.79

-26.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₸310

$0.82 MX$15.24

-15.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₸619

$3.06 MX$56.6

-55.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₸611

$4.94 MX$91.2

-72.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ₸778

$1.47 MX$27.17

17.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 ₸216

$2.22 MX$40.95

-78.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 ₸940

$1.48 MX$27.32

40.54%

Eggs

$2.48 ₸1,121

$2.49 MX$45.99

-0.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ₸5,646

$7.52 MX$139

66.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 ₸2,934

$7.96 MX$147

-18.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.71 ₸4,841

$12.57 MX$232

-14.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₸809

$2.78 MX$51.3

-35.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 ₸1,079

$1.43 MX$26.37

67.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 ₸1,369

$2.62 MX$48.37

15.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 ₸1,262

$2.14 MX$39.49

30.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸363

$2.02 MX$37.38

-60.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸249

$1.99 MX$36.74

-72.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 ₸723

$1.14 MX$21.01

40.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ₸471

$1.20 MX$22.18

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 ₸736

$4.26 MX$78.7

-61.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 ₸5,021

$10.02 MX$185

10.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸572

$1.54 MX$28.41

-18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₸1,119

$2.66 MX$49.17

-6.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₸70.2

$0.53 MX$9.73

-69.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.23 ₸7,791

$27.51 MX$508

-37.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 ₸393

$4.90 MX$90.6

-82.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 ₸315

$3.43 MX$63.5

-79.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 ₸1,822

$5.38 MX$99.4

-25.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 ₸254

$1.45 MX$26.76

-61.38%

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

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

6.57%

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

$29.7K ₸13.4M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

29.15%

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

$90.0 ₸40.7K

$85.4 MX$1,577

5.48%

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

$10.64 ₸4,809

$23.46 MX$434

-54.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.21 ₸8,232

$28.43 MX$525

-35.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.59 ₸18.8K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-33.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 ₸3,083

$5.10 MX$94.3

33.73%

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

$146 ₸66.2K

$201 MX$3,715

-27.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,474 ₸2.0M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

13.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 ₸41.4K

$44.39 MX$820

106.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.71 ₸20.7K

$41.35 MX$764

10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₸64.5K

$72.7 MX$1,344

96.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₸59.6K

$89.6 MX$1,656

47.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 ₸203.3K

$979 MX$18.1K

-54.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₸141.1K

$373 MX$6,887

-16.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ₸325.8K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-57.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 ₸220.2K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-55.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,085 ₸490.3K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-72.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$872 ₸394.4K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-85.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

11.45

80.35%

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

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Qapshaghay

$312 28.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 19.4% $61

Groceries & Markets

Qapshaghay

$248 22.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 4.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Qapshaghay

$185 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 39.8% $74

Eating Out

Qapshaghay

$144 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 39.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qapshaghay

$119 11%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 15.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 31.1% $17

Getting Around

Qapshaghay

$22 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 133% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $441 in Qapshaghay versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Qapshaghay versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $258 – making Qapshaghay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

05:00 5:00 AM

11 h behind Qapshaghay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,167

149,923

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

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).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qapshaghay Playa del Carmen 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Qapshaghay
Playa del Carmen

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

Qapshaghay vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,615 per month in Qapshaghay and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qapshaghay, 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 $1,077 in Qapshaghay and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 12%.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Qapshaghay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qapshaghay, where all-in costs run around $1,077, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Qapshaghay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qapshaghay – 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 Qapshaghay. 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.