Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Strumica and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Strumica: $866 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index
58

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

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Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$866

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $866 per month in Strumica vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Strumica $866
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,222 per month in Strumica vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Strumica $1,222
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,579 per month in Strumica vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Strumica $1,579
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Strumica is about 28% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Strumica and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Strumica 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MKD 197

$10.92 MX$203

-67.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.29 MKD 1,226

$43.37 MX$808

-48.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 MKD 205

$11.78 MX$219

-68.34%

Cappuccino

$1.53 MKD 84.0

$3.81 MX$71.0

-59.84%

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

$1.40 MKD 77.0

$1.28 MX$23.89

9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 MKD 63.0

$0.78 MX$14.58

47.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 MKD 102

$3.17 MX$59.0

-41.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MKD 109

$4.93 MX$91.9

-59.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MKD 70.9

$1.41 MX$26.20

-8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.45

$2.22 MX$41.30

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MKD 93.8

$1.42 MX$26.40

19.72%

Eggs

$2.12 MKD 117

$2.52 MX$47.00

-15.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.99 MKD 440

$7.26 MX$135

10.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 MKD 341

$7.70 MX$143

-19.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 MKD 544

$12.69 MX$236

-21.99%

Apples (1kg)

$0.61 MKD 33.70

$2.78 MX$51.9

-78.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MKD 76.0

$1.37 MX$25.49

0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 MKD 66.3

$2.55 MX$47.52

-52.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MKD 108

$2.12 MX$39.55

-7.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.55

$1.94 MX$36.11

-57.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 MKD 42.48

$1.89 MX$35.13

-59.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 MKD 35.22

$1.15 MX$21.36

-44.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.28

$1.18 MX$21.96

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 MKD 149

$4.30 MX$80.0

-36.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 MKD 296

$9.95 MX$185

-46.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 MKD 52.4

$1.58 MX$29.50

-39.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 MKD 65.9

$2.67 MX$49.76

-55.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MKD 38.57

$0.55 MX$10.31

27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 MKD 59.1

$4.97 MX$92.6

-78.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.86

$3.33 MX$62.1

-81.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.73 MKD 425

$5.36 MX$99.8

44.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 MKD 86.6

$1.44 MX$26.90

9.03%

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

$33.6K MKD 1.9M

$20.7K MX$385.0K

62.80%

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

$26.4K MKD 1.5M

$23.5K MX$437.2K

12.38%

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

$150 MKD 8,243

$84.8 MX$1,580

76.71%

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

$12.85 MKD 707

$23.41 MX$436

-45.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.35 MKD 1,010

$28.66 MX$534

-35.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.22 MKD 1,113

$57.1 MX$1,063

-64.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 MKD 391

$5.14 MX$95.7

38.13%

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

$365 MKD 20.1K

$207 MX$3,848

76.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,764 MKD 317.1K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

46.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 MKD 4,717

$43.35 MX$808

97.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.58 MKD 2,012

$41.44 MX$772

-11.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MKD 5,709

$74.2 MX$1,382

39.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 MKD 5,049

$89.3 MX$1,663

2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$308 MKD 17.0K

$980 MX$18.2K

-68.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 MKD 13.3K

$381 MX$7,095

-36.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 MKD 27.1K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-71.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 MKD 16.4K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-72.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,484 MKD 81.7K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-62.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$979 MKD 53.9K

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-84.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 MKD 35.2K

$735 MX$13.7K

-12.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-65.07%

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

Last update for Strumica: October 25, 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

Strumica

$241 27.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 58.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Strumica

$181 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 24.4% $44

Groceries & Markets

Strumica

$178 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 43.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Strumica

$143 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 21.9% $31

Eating Out

Strumica

$81 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 148% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Strumica

$34 4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 95.6% $33

Getting Around

Strumica

$7 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 625% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $308 in Strumica 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 run about 15% 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 $22 in Strumica versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $255 – making Strumica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Strumica

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

01:14 1:14 AM

6 h behind Strumica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,000

149,923

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

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).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Strumica Playa del Carmen 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Strumica
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,298 per month in Strumica 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 Strumica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $308 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $866 in Strumica and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Strumica about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $365 per month in Strumica and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $866 in Strumica and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $866 in Strumica to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Strumica. 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.