Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samarkand and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarkand: $636 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Samarkand
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Samarkand Living Index
58

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

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Samarkand

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$636

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samarkand 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 Samarkand and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $636 per month in Samarkand vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Samarkand $636
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,013 per month in Samarkand vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Samarkand $1,013
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,391 per month in Samarkand vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Samarkand $1,391
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Samarkand is about 47% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Samarkand and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Samarkand 53% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 UZS 81.7K

$10.92 MX$203

-37.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.65 UZS 235.4K

$43.37 MX$808

-54.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 UZS 57.3K

$11.78 MX$219

-59.42%

Cappuccino

$2.54 UZS 30.4K

$3.81 MX$71.0

-33.33%

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

$0.76 UZS 9,055

$1.28 MX$23.89

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 UZS 2,501

$0.78 MX$14.58

-73.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 UZS 19.7K

$3.17 MX$59.0

-48.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 UZS 27.1K

$4.93 MX$91.9

-54.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 UZS 12.8K

$1.41 MX$26.20

-24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 UZS 3,796

$2.22 MX$41.30

-85.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 UZS 19.1K

$1.42 MX$26.40

11.97%

Eggs

$1.33 UZS 15.9K

$2.52 MX$47.00

-47.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 UZS 98.1K

$7.26 MX$135

12.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 UZS 50.1K

$7.70 MX$143

-45.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.48 UZS 125.6K

$12.69 MX$236

-17.42%

Apples (1kg)

$0.86 UZS 10.3K

$2.78 MX$51.9

-69.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 UZS 21.1K

$1.37 MX$25.49

28.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 UZS 20.5K

$2.55 MX$47.52

-32.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 UZS 20.5K

$2.12 MX$39.55

-19.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 UZS 6,166

$1.94 MX$36.11

-73.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.15 UZS 1,823

$1.89 MX$35.13

-92.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.26 UZS 3,144

$1.15 MX$21.36

-77.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 UZS 4,896

$1.18 MX$21.96

-65.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.65 UZS 19.8K

$4.30 MX$80.0

-61.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.44 UZS 41.2K

$9.95 MX$185

-65.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 UZS 12.3K

$1.58 MX$29.50

-35.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 UZS 24.4K

$2.67 MX$49.76

-23.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 UZS 2,863

$0.55 MX$10.31

-56.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.42 UZS 40.9K

$26.62 MX$496

-87.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.33 UZS 3,907

$4.97 MX$92.6

-93.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 UZS 3,893

$3.33 MX$62.1

-90.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 UZS 40.7K

$5.36 MX$99.8

-36.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 UZS 14.3K

$1.44 MX$26.90

-17.36%

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

$17.3K UZS 207.4M

$20.7K MX$385.0K

-16.24%

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

$21.1K UZS 252.9M

$23.5K MX$437.2K

-10.05%

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

$41.16 UZS 493.1K

$84.8 MX$1,580

-51.46%

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

$3.92 UZS 46.9K

$23.41 MX$436

-83.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.63 UZS 163.3K

$28.66 MX$534

-52.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.16 UZS 469.2K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-31.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.56 UZS 78.6K

$28.91 MX$539

-77.31%

Cinema Ticket

$3.21 UZS 38.5K

$5.14 MX$95.7

-37.55%

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

$380 UZS 4.6M

$207 MX$3,848

83.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,387 UZS 88.5M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

88.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.48 UZS 245.4K

$43.35 MX$808

-52.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 UZS 494.7K

$41.44 MX$772

-0.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 UZS 903.0K

$74.2 MX$1,382

1.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 UZS 708.7K

$89.3 MX$1,663

-33.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 UZS 2.9M

$980 MX$18.2K

-75.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 UZS 2.0M

$381 MX$7,095

-56.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 UZS 5.5M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-73.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 UZS 3.8M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-70.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,248 UZS 14.9M

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-68.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$536 UZS 6.4M

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-91.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$306 UZS 3.7M

$735 MX$13.7K

-58.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.31

11.45

103.58%

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

Last update for Samarkand: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samarkand

$164 25.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 132% $217

Groceries & Markets

Samarkand

$157 24.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 62.7% $98

Eating Out

Samarkand

$116 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 74.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Samarkand

$88 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samarkand

$59 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 133% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Samarkand

$46 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 47.7% $22

Getting Around

Samarkand

$6.3 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 698% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Samarkand versus $980 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.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Samarkand versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $157 vs $255 – making Samarkand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇿 Samarkand

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

06:20 6:20 AM

10 h behind Samarkand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

573,200

149,923

💱 Currency

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.48 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UZS – Uzbekistani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇿 Uzbekistani Som (soʻm)

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 11,980 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD). 1 EUR = 13,369 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.48 EUR).

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).

USD to UZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samarkand Playa del Carmen 12,790 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Samarkand
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Samarkand and $1,806 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 Samarkand, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $636 in Samarkand and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Samarkand about 47% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Samarkand. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Samarkand, where all-in costs run around $636, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Samarkand it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $636 in Samarkand to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Samarkand. 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.