Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,543 in Bathurst, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Bathurst
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Bathurst Living Index
57

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

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Bathurst

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,543 per month in Bathurst vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bathurst $2,543
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,640 per month in Bathurst vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bathurst $3,640
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Bathurst vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bathurst $4,737
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Bathurst costs about 111% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bathurst sits 88% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 A$21.64

$10.67 MX$199

41.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$121

$43.80 MX$815

93.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 A$15.32

$11.79 MX$219

-9.25%

Cappuccino

$3.64 A$5.21

$3.79 MX$70.5

-3.96%

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

$2.89 A$4.13

$1.30 MX$24.14

122.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.31

$0.83 MX$15.51

178.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 A$6.81

$3.15 MX$58.6

50.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 A$10.43

$4.93 MX$91.8

47.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.41 MX$26.22

10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 A$3.91

$2.20 MX$40.86

24.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.18

$1.47 MX$27.40

51.02%

Eggs

$5.68 A$8.14

$2.50 MX$46.46

127.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 A$14.35

$7.29 MX$136

37.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.27

$7.95 MX$148

16.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 A$20.15

$12.86 MX$239

9.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.17

$2.90 MX$53.9

48.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.53

$1.38 MX$25.74

129.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 A$5.31

$2.49 MX$46.35

49.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 A$6.85

$2.03 MX$37.77

135.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.02 MX$37.68

22.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.37

$1.90 MX$35.42

23.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 A$2.95

$1.14 MX$21.30

80.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 A$2.18

$1.24 MX$23.05

22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.65 A$59.6

$4.27 MX$79.5

875.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.33 A$17.65

$9.81 MX$183

25.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.05 A$7.23

$1.59 MX$29.51

217.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 A$6.85

$2.75 MX$51.1

74.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.90 A$4.15

$0.51 MX$9.58

468.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.0 A$130

$27.39 MX$510

232.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 A$5.45

$4.76 MX$88.6

-19.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.22

$3.25 MX$60.5

-52.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.35 A$53.5

$5.39 MX$100

592.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.94

$1.53 MX$28.44

-11.76%

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

$32.7K A$46.9K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

54.36%

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

$29.9K A$42.7K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

28.34%

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

$209 A$300

$83.5 MX$1,554

150.86%

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

$41.21 A$59.0

$23.19 MX$431

77.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.4 A$89.3

$27.61 MX$514

126.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.5 A$85.1

$56.4 MX$1,050

5.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 A$28.55

$28.19 MX$525

-29.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 A$21.07

$5.00 MX$93.1

194.40%

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

$2,312 A$3,310

$207 MX$3,854

1016.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K A$33.7K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

350.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.2 A$109

$43.45 MX$809

75.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 A$78.0

$42.54 MX$792

28.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$156

$72.8 MX$1,354

49.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 A$162

$88.4 MX$1,645

28.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 A$2,003

$995 MX$18.5K

40.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 A$1,777

$382 MX$7,116

224.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,280 A$3,263

$1,674 MX$31.2K

36.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 A$2,599

$1,081 MX$20.1K

68.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,922 A$8,478

$3,909 MX$72.7K

51.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,559 A$6,526

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-25.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Bathurst: 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

Bathurst

$1.2K 48.8%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 69.2% $859

Groceries & Markets

Bathurst

$371 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 30.6% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bathurst

$313 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 57.1% $179

Eating Out

Bathurst

$256 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 21.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Bathurst

$159 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 30% $48

Getting Around

Bathurst

$114 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 55.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Bathurst

$89 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 25.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,399 in Bathurst 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 $85 in Bathurst versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bathurst

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

16 h behind Bathurst

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,230

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bathurst Playa del Carmen 14,300 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Bathurst
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

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

Yes – Bathurst is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,814 per month in Bathurst 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 $1,399 in Bathurst.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,312 per month in Bathurst and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Bathurst at $2,543. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bathurst 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 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.