Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,525 in Ballina, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Ballina
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Ballina Living Index
57

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

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Ballina

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,525

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,525 per month in Ballina vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ballina $2,525
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,645 per month in Ballina vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ballina $3,645
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,766 per month in Ballina vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ballina $4,766
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Ballina costs about 110% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ballina sits 87% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 A$24.72

$10.67 MX$199

62.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 A$119

$43.80 MX$815

90.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$15.04

$11.79 MX$219

-10.60%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.79

$3.79 MX$70.5

6.86%

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

$2.87 A$4.10

$1.30 MX$24.14

120.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.26

$0.83 MX$15.51

174.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 A$10.96

$3.15 MX$58.6

143.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 A$10.70

$4.93 MX$91.8

52.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 A$3.82

$1.41 MX$26.22

90.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 A$4.89

$2.20 MX$40.86

55.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.15

$1.47 MX$27.40

50.34%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.97

$2.50 MX$46.46

123.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 A$8.80

$7.29 MX$136

-15.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.59

$7.95 MX$148

19.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.69

$12.86 MX$239

12.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.14

$2.90 MX$53.9

24.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.36

$1.38 MX$25.74

121.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.66

$2.49 MX$46.35

31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.95

$2.03 MX$37.77

70.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.89

$2.02 MX$37.68

35.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.90 MX$35.42

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.46 A$4.93

$1.14 MX$21.30

203.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.24 MX$23.05

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.40 A$60.5

$4.27 MX$79.5

892.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.23

$9.81 MX$183

44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.60 A$6.56

$1.59 MX$29.51

189.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 A$7.29

$2.75 MX$51.1

85.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 A$3.82

$0.51 MX$9.58

425.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 A$118

$27.39 MX$510

202.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 A$4.87

$4.76 MX$88.6

-28.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.28

$3.25 MX$60.5

-50.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.99 A$57.1

$5.39 MX$100

641.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.88

$1.53 MX$28.44

-13.73%

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

$29.3K A$41.8K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

38.13%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

12.97%

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

$212 A$303

$83.5 MX$1,554

154.14%

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

$27.41 A$39.13

$23.19 MX$431

18.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$27.61 MX$514

110.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 A$79.2

$56.4 MX$1,050

-1.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 A$25.68

$28.19 MX$525

-36.15%

Cinema Ticket

$14.11 A$20.14

$5.00 MX$93.1

182.20%

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

$2,118 A$3,023

$207 MX$3,854

922.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.4K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

293.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 A$110

$43.45 MX$809

77.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$76.8

$42.54 MX$792

26.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$154

$72.8 MX$1,354

48.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$88.4 MX$1,645

38.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 A$1,991

$995 MX$18.5K

40.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 A$1,723

$382 MX$7,116

215.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 A$3,247

$1,674 MX$31.2K

35.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 A$2,603

$1,081 MX$20.1K

68.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,839 A$8,334

$3,909 MX$72.7K

49.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,029 A$7,177

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-18.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.45

-48.47%

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

Last update for Ballina: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballina

$1.2K 47.8%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.3% $825

Groceries & Markets

Ballina

$376 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 31.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballina

$298 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 54.9% $163

Eating Out

Ballina

$293 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 31.6% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Ballina

$163 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 31.6% $51

Getting Around

Ballina

$105 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Ballina

$84 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 20.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,395 in Ballina versus $995 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 $83 in Ballina versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballina

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

16 h behind Ballina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,911

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.622 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ballina Playa del Carmen 13,890 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballina
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

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

Yes – Ballina is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,787 per month in Ballina and $1,804 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,395 in Ballina.

Kindergarten costs $2,118 per month in Ballina and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Ballina, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Ballina at $2,525. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ballina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.