Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Ballina is 31.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 81.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ballina is 43.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 43.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.38 A$25.09
$11.99 MX$227
36.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.3 A$121
$42.47 MX$803
86.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.75 A$14.94
$10.47 MX$198
-6.88%
Cappuccino
$3.35 A$5.12
$3.6 MX$68.2
-6.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 A$3.96
$1.44 MX$27.16
79.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 A$3.33
$0.89 MX$16.79
143.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.34 A$9.71
$3.09 MX$58.5
105.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.1 A$10.88
$4.58 MX$86.6
55.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.38 A$3.64
$1.38 MX$26.04
72.46%
White Bread (500g)
$3.07 A$4.71
$1.85 MX$34.9
65.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 A$3
$1.57 MX$29.68
24.84%
Eggs
$5.42 A$8.3
$2.55 MX$48.3
112.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.99 A$9.18
$8.61 MX$163
-30.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.3 A$12.71
$8.54 MX$161
-2.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.7 A$20.98
$10.98 MX$208
24.77%
Apples (1kg)
$3.3 A$5.05
$2.72 MX$51.4
21.32%
Banana (1kg)
$2.8 A$4.29
$1.51 MX$28.57
85.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 A$4.41
$1.88 MX$35.63
53.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.31 A$5.07
$2.19 MX$41.42
51.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 A$3.66
$1.87 MX$35.3
27.81%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 A$3.32
$2.19 MX$41.37
-0.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.15 A$4.83
$1.07 MX$20.23
194.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 A$2.35
$1.09 MX$20.64
41.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.7 A$47.03
$3.96 MX$74.9
675.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 A$20.08
$8.86 MX$167
47.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.56 A$6.98
$1.72 MX$32.53
165.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.27 A$8.07
$2.61 MX$49.37
101.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 A$4.09
$0.52 MX$9.74
413.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 A$99.9
$26.59 MX$503
145.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.67 A$5.62
$3.24 MX$61.2
13.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 A$2.38
$2.38 MX$44.94
-34.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.89 A$51.9
$3.11 MX$58.7
989.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 A$1.73
$1.31 MX$24.85
-13.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K A$43.7K
$30.3K MX$573K
-5.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$34.4K
$24K MX$453.6K
-6.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 A$276
$84.2 MX$1,592
113.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.57 A$42.24
$22.14 MX$419
24.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.7 A$80.7
$30.14 MX$570
74.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.42 A$75.7
$52 MX$983
-4.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.58 A$23.86
$18.72 MX$354
-16.77%
Cinema Ticket
$13.09 A$20.06
$5.07 MX$95.9
158.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,606 A$2,460
$200 MX$3,787
701.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$18.6K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
127.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.8 A$102
$35.74 MX$676
86.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.56 A$75.9
$39.8 MX$753
24.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 A$154
$79 MX$1,493
27.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 A$163
$88.4 MX$1,671
20.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,255 A$1,923
$965 MX$18.3K
30.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,046 A$1,602
$474 MX$8,968
120.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,986 A$3,042
$1,653 MX$31.2K
20.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 A$2,565
$1,202 MX$22.7K
39.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,199 A$7,965
$3,081 MX$58.3K
68.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,011 A$7,678
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-33.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$792 MX$15K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
11.42
-44.48%

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

Last update for Ballina: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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