Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sveti Nikole and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $858 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
Learn more

Sveti Nikole Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$858

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $858 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $858
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,309 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,309
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,760 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,760
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Sveti Nikole is about 29% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sveti Nikole and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sveti Nikole 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 MKD 481

$10.76 MX$199

-18.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.98 MKD 1,799

$43.03 MX$795

-23.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 MKD 292

$11.79 MX$218

-54.54%

Cappuccino

$1.61 MKD 88.0

$3.87 MX$71.4

-58.40%

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

$1.38 MKD 75.5

$1.37 MX$25.29

0.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MKD 56.2

$0.84 MX$15.44

22.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 MKD 82.2

$3.10 MX$57.3

-51.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 MKD 101

$5.07 MX$93.6

-63.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 MKD 72.6

$1.44 MX$26.55

-7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 MKD 30.14

$2.23 MX$41.23

-75.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 MKD 63.8

$1.47 MX$27.17

-20.41%

Eggs

$2.43 MKD 132

$2.53 MX$46.71

-3.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.29 MKD 507

$7.30 MX$135

27.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 MKD 252

$7.86 MX$145

-41.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.58 MKD 632

$12.79 MX$236

-9.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 MKD 70.1

$2.90 MX$53.6

-55.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 MKD 71.1

$1.44 MX$26.53

-9.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 MKD 69.9

$2.55 MX$47.07

-49.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 MKD 94.7

$2.06 MX$38.03

-15.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 MKD 40.20

$2.00 MX$36.97

-63.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 MKD 62.2

$2.01 MX$37.07

-43.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 MKD 46.91

$1.19 MX$22.02

-27.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 MKD 21.64

$1.26 MX$23.23

-68.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 MKD 168

$4.40 MX$81.4

-30.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 MKD 354

$9.59 MX$177

-32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MKD 55.9

$1.59 MX$29.41

-35.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 81.3

$2.81 MX$51.9

-46.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.82

$0.57 MX$10.47

24.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.57 MKD 1,286

$27.82 MX$514

-15.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 MKD 79.8

$4.98 MX$92.1

-70.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 MKD 55.2

$3.50 MX$64.6

-71.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 MKD 199

$5.40 MX$99.8

-32.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MKD 76.3

$1.47 MX$27.08

-4.76%

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

$31.4K MKD 1.7M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

49.76%

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

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

15.97%

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

$127 MKD 6,901

$84.2 MX$1,556

50.23%

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

$15.70 MKD 857

$23.99 MX$443

-34.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.97 MKD 653

$29.02 MX$536

-58.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.94 MKD 1,197

$63.0 MX$1,164

-65.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 MKD 1,077

$29.14 MX$539

-32.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MKD 278

$4.94 MX$91.3

3.24%

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

$280 MKD 15.3K

$204 MX$3,763

37.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,095 MKD 168.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-21.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MKD 3,968

$43.60 MX$806

66.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.84 MKD 1,737

$43.12 MX$797

-26.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 MKD 4,474

$75.8 MX$1,400

8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 MKD 4,765

$88.6 MX$1,637

-1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 MKD 17.1K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-68.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 MKD 11.3K

$374 MX$6,911

-44.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 MKD 24.6K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-73.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 MKD 17.2K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-71.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,523 MKD 83.1K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-61.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,169 MKD 63.8K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-81.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$539 MKD 29.4K

$754 MX$13.9K

-28.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

11.45

-63.06%

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

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sveti Nikole

$207 24.2%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 80.3% $167

Groceries & Markets

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 43% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sveti Nikole

$154 18%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 11% $17

Eating Out

Sveti Nikole

$127 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 59.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 8.3% $10

Getting Around

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 59.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sveti Nikole

$32 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 127% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Sveti Nikole 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.

Salaries run about 40% 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 $33.00 in Sveti Nikole versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $258 – making Sveti Nikole the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

7 h behind Sveti Nikole

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,220

149,923

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sveti Nikole Playa del Carmen 9,960 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sveti Nikole
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,286 per month in Sveti Nikole 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 Sveti Nikole, 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 $858 in Sveti Nikole and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 41%.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Sveti Nikole. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sveti Nikole, where all-in costs run around $858, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Sveti Nikole it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sveti Nikole. 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.