Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blacktown and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,459 in Blacktown, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Blacktown
Learn more

Blacktown Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Blacktown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,459

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,459 in Blacktown versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Blacktown $2,459
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,687 in Blacktown versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Blacktown $3,687
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,915 in Blacktown versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Blacktown $4,915
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Blacktown is roughly 104% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Blacktown is 81% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.72 A$29.60

$10.92 MX$203

89.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 A$129

$43.37 MX$805

108.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 A$15.29

$11.78 MX$219

-9.17%

Cappuccino

$4.02 A$5.74

$3.81 MX$70.7

5.51%

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

$3.06 A$4.36

$1.28 MX$23.81

139.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 A$3.62

$0.78 MX$14.54

225.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.47 A$12.10

$3.17 MX$58.8

167.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 A$14.05

$4.93 MX$91.7

99.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.41 MX$26.12

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 A$4.64

$2.22 MX$41.17

46.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$1.42 MX$26.32

75.35%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.70

$2.52 MX$46.85

113.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 A$18.45

$7.26 MX$135

77.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.79

$7.70 MX$143

25.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.16 A$21.65

$12.69 MX$236

19.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.74

$2.78 MX$51.7

44.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.61

$1.37 MX$25.41

135.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 A$5.16

$2.55 MX$47.37

41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 A$7.12

$2.12 MX$39.43

134.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.57

$1.94 MX$36.00

64.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.05

$1.89 MX$35.02

49.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.56

$1.15 MX$21.29

116.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.18 MX$21.89

18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.08 A$63.0

$4.30 MX$79.8

925.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.13 A$20.17

$9.95 MX$185

42.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.83 A$6.90

$1.58 MX$29.41

205.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 A$8.17

$2.67 MX$49.60

114.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.46

$0.55 MX$10.28

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 A$120

$26.62 MX$494

216.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 A$5.94

$4.97 MX$92.3

-16.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$3.33 MX$61.9

-53.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.76 A$61.1

$5.36 MX$99.5

697.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.98

$1.44 MX$26.82

-4.17%

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

$27.6K A$39.4K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

33.54%

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

$26.0K A$37.2K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

10.89%

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

$181 A$258

$84.8 MX$1,575

113.07%

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

$27.34 A$39.05

$23.41 MX$435

16.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 A$80.5

$28.66 MX$532

96.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 A$91.6

$57.1 MX$1,059

12.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.91 A$28.44

$28.91 MX$537

-31.13%

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 A$22.21

$5.14 MX$95.4

202.53%

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

$2,531 A$3,614

$207 MX$3,836

1125.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.4K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

424.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 A$109

$43.35 MX$805

76.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 A$82.3

$41.44 MX$770

39.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 A$156

$74.2 MX$1,378

47.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

$89.3 MX$1,657

50.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 A$2,117

$980 MX$18.2K

51.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 A$1,566

$381 MX$7,072

187.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,191 A$3,130

$1,708 MX$31.7K

28.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 A$2,568

$1,075 MX$20.0K

67.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,217 A$8,878

$3,943 MX$73.2K

57.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 A$6,446

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-26.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

11.45

-48.03%

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

Last update for Blacktown: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Blacktown

$1.1K 44.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 65.3% $716

Groceries & Markets

Blacktown

$397 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 35.8% $142

Eating Out

Blacktown

$331 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 38.8% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blacktown

$264 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.2% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Blacktown

$170 6.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34.3% $58

Getting Around

Blacktown

$106 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Blacktown

$95 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 29.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,483 in Blacktown and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Blacktown vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Blacktown

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

03:38 3:38 AM

16 h behind Blacktown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,942

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Blacktown Playa del Carmen 14,180 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Blacktown
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,689 in Blacktown and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,483 in Blacktown versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 68% less than in Blacktown. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,531 in Blacktown versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,459 in Blacktown, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Blacktown. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Blacktown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.