Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
Learn more

Brisbane Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,518 per month in Brisbane vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brisbane $2,518
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,720 per month in Brisbane vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brisbane $3,720
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,922 per month in Brisbane vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brisbane $4,922
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Brisbane costs about 109% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Brisbane sits 86% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$25.02

$10.86 MX$201

60.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 A$102

$44.21 MX$817

60.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.95

$11.76 MX$217

-5.70%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$3.68 MX$68.0

20.38%

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

$2.90 A$4.17

$1.34 MX$24.79

116.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.82 MX$15.24

196.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 A$12.12

$3.06 MX$56.6

175.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 A$11.96

$4.94 MX$91.2

68.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.47 MX$27.17

13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.92

$2.22 MX$40.95

22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.48 MX$27.32

54.73%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.94

$2.49 MX$45.99

93.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$7.52 MX$139

20.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.21

$7.96 MX$147

15.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 A$20.45

$12.57 MX$232

13.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$2.78 MX$51.3

55.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.43 MX$26.37

112.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$2.62 MX$48.37

14.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.84

$2.14 MX$39.49

121.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.92

$2.02 MX$37.38

34.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.37

$1.99 MX$36.74

17.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.14 MX$21.01

112.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.71

$1.20 MX$22.18

-0.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.67 A$55.7

$4.26 MX$78.7

807.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$10.02 MX$185

26.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 A$7.77

$1.54 MX$28.41

250.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$2.66 MX$49.17

92.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.53

$0.53 MX$9.73

-30.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.72 A$29.81

$27.51 MX$508

-24.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 A$4.20

$4.90 MX$90.6

-40.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 A$2.68

$3.43 MX$63.5

-45.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.05 A$59.1

$5.38 MX$99.4

663.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.45 MX$26.76

-3.45%

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

$29.7K A$42.8K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

40.60%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

12.81%

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

$159 A$229

$85.4 MX$1,577

86.41%

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

$26.52 A$38.16

$23.46 MX$434

13.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 A$87.2

$28.43 MX$525

113.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 A$87.6

$62.2 MX$1,149

-2.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.22 A$31.97

$28.68 MX$530

-22.52%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 A$20.34

$5.10 MX$94.3

177.25%

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

$1,952 A$2,808

$201 MX$3,715

870.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.3K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

221.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 A$120

$44.39 MX$820

87.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.69 A$62.9

$41.35 MX$764

5.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$163

$72.7 MX$1,344

55.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$160

$89.6 MX$1,656

23.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$979 MX$18.1K

97.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 A$1,902

$373 MX$6,887

254.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,408 A$4,904

$1,681 MX$31.1K

102.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,226

$1,095 MX$20.2K

104.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 A$11.9K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

109.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 A$8,518

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-3.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,183 A$6,020

$738 MX$13.6K

467.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

11.45

-49.26%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.8% $949

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$363 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 28.8% $105

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 34.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$246 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 44.3% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 18.8% $17

Getting Around

Brisbane

$34 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 50.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,939 in Brisbane versus $979 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.

Salaries run about 467% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

15 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brisbane Playa del Carmen 13,920 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
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

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

Brisbane costs about 109% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,777 per month in Brisbane and $1,806 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Brisbane at $2,518. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,518 in Brisbane. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.