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

😐 Solo nomad: Ballina is 22.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 79.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ballina is 41.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 46.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.46 A$23.21
$11.85 MX$205
38.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.4 A$109
$42.16 MX$730
83.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.77 A$13.78
$10.75 MX$186
-9.12%
Cappuccino
$3.33 A$4.70
$3.47 MX$60.2
-4.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 A$3.56
$1.45 MX$25.17
73.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 A$3.07
$0.90 MX$15.64
141.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.54 A$9.22
$3.05 MX$52.9
114.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.16 A$10.09
$4.42 MX$76.5
61.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.41 A$3.40
$1.37 MX$23.72
75.91%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 A$4.48
$1.87 MX$32.43
70.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 A$2.77
$1.54 MX$26.74
27.27%
Eggs
$5.25 A$7.40
$2.50 MX$43.36
110.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.89 A$8.31
$8.61 MX$149
-31.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.61 A$12.14
$8.63 MX$150
-0.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.60 A$19.17
$11.02 MX$191
23.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.19 A$4.50
$2.75 MX$47.62
16.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.83 A$4.00
$1.43 MX$24.73
97.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 A$4.11
$1.87 MX$32.44
55.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.45
$2.17 MX$37.54
45.16%
Potato (1kg)
$2.50 A$3.52
$1.88 MX$32.61
32.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 A$3.08
$2.25 MX$38.91
-3.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.19 A$4.50
$1.07 MX$18.49
198.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 A$2.14
$1.07 MX$18.59
42.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.40 A$42.87
$4.15 MX$72.0
632.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.75 A$19.38
$10.34 MX$179
32.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.63 A$6.53
$1.68 MX$29.08
175.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.19 A$7.32
$2.48 MX$43.02
109.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 A$3.77
$0.55 MX$9.61
385.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 A$92.0
$26.53 MX$459
145.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.64 A$5.13
$3.22 MX$55.7
13.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 A$2.28
$2.48 MX$42.98
-34.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.14 A$46.73
$3.11 MX$53.9
965.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 A$1.62
$1.26 MX$21.75
-8.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.9K A$40.8K
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-5.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$31.7K
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-6.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 A$258
$82.5 MX$1,429
121.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.31 A$38.50
$22.29 MX$386
22.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.4 A$73.9
$30.02 MX$520
74.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.90 A$67.6
$51.4 MX$891
-6.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.45 A$21.79
$18.29 MX$317
-15.53%
Cinema Ticket
$12.94 A$18.25
$4.98 MX$86.3
159.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,617 A$2,280
$200 MX$3,464
708.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$17.1K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
128.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.9 A$95.7
$35.71 MX$618
90.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.2 A$70.8
$39.56 MX$685
26.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.2 A$140
$80.6 MX$1,395
23.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 A$150
$88.3 MX$1,530
20.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,241 A$1,750
$969 MX$16.8K
28.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,076 A$1,518
$482 MX$8,352
123.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,044 A$2,882
$1,595 MX$27.6K
28.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,658 A$2,337
$1,184 MX$20.5K
40.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,489 A$7,740
$4,050 MX$70.1K
35.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,574 A$6,449
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-29.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ballina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$756 MX$13.1K
-
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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