Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,040 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
58

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

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,040 per month in Ashburton vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ashburton $2,040
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,892 per month in Ashburton vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ashburton $2,892
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,745 per month in Ashburton vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ashburton $3,745
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ashburton costs about 69% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ashburton sits 50% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.48 NZ$25.74

$10.92 MX$205

32.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 NZ$124

$43.37 MX$815

61.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 NZ$16.49

$11.78 MX$221

-21.22%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.86

$3.81 MX$71.6

-13.39%

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

$2.27 NZ$4.03

$1.28 MX$24.10

77.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$0.78 MX$14.71

139.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$3.17 MX$59.5

112.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 NZ$12.41

$4.93 MX$92.7

41.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.41 MX$26.43

18.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 NZ$3.19

$2.22 MX$41.66

-18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.51

$1.42 MX$26.64

-0.70%

Eggs

$6.04 NZ$10.73

$2.52 MX$47.41

139.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 NZ$12.94

$7.26 MX$137

0.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 NZ$16.83

$7.70 MX$145

22.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 NZ$23.95

$12.69 MX$239

6.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 NZ$4.41

$2.78 MX$52.3

-10.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.37 MX$25.71

47.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 NZ$4.86

$2.55 MX$47.94

7.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.45

$2.12 MX$39.90

44.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.70

$1.94 MX$36.43

-21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.89 MX$35.44

-25.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$1.15 MX$21.55

98.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 NZ$2.28

$1.18 MX$22.16

8.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.04 NZ$42.73

$4.30 MX$80.7

459.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 NZ$14.85

$9.95 MX$187

-16.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.50 NZ$6.22

$1.58 MX$29.76

121.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.90

$2.67 MX$50.2

66.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$0.55 MX$10.40

220.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 NZ$161

$26.62 MX$500

240.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 NZ$4.43

$4.97 MX$93.4

-49.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$3.33 MX$62.6

-49.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.87 NZ$51.3

$5.36 MX$101

438.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$1.44 MX$27.14

34.03%

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

$28.0K NZ$49.8K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

35.57%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-0.67%

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

$157 NZ$280

$84.8 MX$1,594

85.53%

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

$23.27 NZ$41.36

$23.41 MX$440

-0.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.99 NZ$80.0

$28.66 MX$539

56.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.50 NZ$70.2

$57.1 MX$1,072

-30.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$11.67 NZ$20.75

$5.14 MX$96.6

127.04%

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

$676 NZ$1,202

$207 MX$3,882

227.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

451.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NZ$106

$43.35 MX$815

37.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 NZ$71.5

$41.44 MX$779

-2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$74.2 MX$1,394

37.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 NZ$221

$89.3 MX$1,677

39.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 NZ$1,642

$980 MX$18.4K

-5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 NZ$1,687

$381 MX$7,157

149.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,883 NZ$3,347

$1,708 MX$32.1K

10.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,290

$1,075 MX$20.2K

19.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,025 NZ$8,933

$3,943 MX$74.1K

27.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,445 NZ$6,123

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-44.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

11.45

-48.38%

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

Last update for Ashburton: October 27, 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

Ashburton

$949 46.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 59.9% $568

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 15% $45

Eating Out

Ashburton

$248 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 18.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$226 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 39.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$147 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23.8% $35

Getting Around

Ashburton

$109 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 53.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$63 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7.1% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Ashburton 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ashburton versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

03:08 3:08 AM

18 h behind Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

149,923

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashburton Playa del Carmen 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashburton
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,040 in Ashburton, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,060 per month in Ashburton and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $924 in Ashburton and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Ashburton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ashburton and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Ashburton at $2,040. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashburton 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,040 in Ashburton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.