Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,902 in Ballarat, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Ballarat versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Ballarat $1,902
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,035 in Ballarat versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Ballarat $3,035
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Ballarat versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Ballarat $4,168
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Ballarat is roughly 57% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ballarat is 41% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 A$25.47

$10.76 MX$199

64.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 A$101

$43.03 MX$795

62.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$11.79 MX$218

-12.89%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.45

$3.87 MX$71.4

-2.07%

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

$2.95 A$4.24

$1.37 MX$25.29

115.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 A$2.72

$0.84 MX$15.44

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 A$8.72

$3.10 MX$57.3

95.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 A$8.77

$5.07 MX$93.6

20.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$1.44 MX$26.55

9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.82

$2.23 MX$41.23

18.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.35

$1.47 MX$27.17

57.82%

Eggs

$4.09 A$5.88

$2.53 MX$46.71

61.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 A$15.20

$7.30 MX$135

44.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.33

$7.86 MX$145

26.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.55

$12.79 MX$236

17.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 A$5.04

$2.90 MX$53.6

21.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.44 MX$26.53

109.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.55 MX$47.07

21.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.73

$2.06 MX$38.03

127.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.42

$2.00 MX$36.97

53.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$2.01 MX$37.07

26.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$1.19 MX$22.02

97.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.26 MX$23.23

17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.39 A$49.49

$4.40 MX$81.4

681.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$9.59 MX$177

32.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.59 MX$29.41

45.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.81 MX$51.9

10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.97

$0.57 MX$10.47

384.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 A$101

$27.82 MX$514

151.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.65

$4.98 MX$92.1

-49.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$1.93

$3.50 MX$64.6

-61.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 A$38.33

$5.40 MX$99.8

393.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.47 MX$27.08

-19.73%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

35.50%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

8.74%

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

$206 A$296

$84.2 MX$1,556

144.12%

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

$27.76 A$39.95

$23.99 MX$443

15.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.6

$29.02 MX$536

97.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 A$45.13

$63.0 MX$1,164

-50.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.18 A$16.09

$29.14 MX$539

-61.63%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.14

$4.94 MX$91.3

211.34%

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

$2,144 A$3,085

$204 MX$3,763

952.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.4K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

666.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 A$98.8

$43.60 MX$806

57.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 A$72.2

$43.12 MX$797

16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 A$143

$75.8 MX$1,400

31.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$88.6 MX$1,637

51.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 A$1,329

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 A$965

$374 MX$6,911

79.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,854

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-24.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,092

$1,106 MX$20.4K

31.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,651

$3,944 MX$72.9K

17.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,963

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-44.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 A$4,512

$754 MX$13.9K

315.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

11.45

-51.53%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 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

Ballarat

$671 35.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 44.2% $297

Groceries & Markets

Ballarat

$350 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 26.2% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballarat

$291 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 52.8% $154

Eating Out

Ballarat

$280 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 27.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Ballarat

$158 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 28.7% $45

Getting Around

Ballarat

$90 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 41.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Ballarat

$62 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 17.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Ballarat and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 316% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $70.0 in Ballarat vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

12:27 12:27 PM

16 h behind Ballarat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,348

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Ballarat Playa del Carmen 14,790 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Ballarat. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 316% higher in Ballarat, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $923 in Ballarat versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Ballarat versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Ballarat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,902 in Ballarat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ballarat. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ballarat and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Ballarat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.