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

😐 Solo nomad: Cairns is 27.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 83% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cairns is 86.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 48.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairns
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.67 A$17.88
$11.99 MX$227
-2.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.9 A$125
$42.47 MX$803
92.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.66 A$16.33
$10.47 MX$198
1.81%
Cappuccino
$3.92 A$6.01
$3.6 MX$68.2
8.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 A$4.19
$1.44 MX$27.16
89.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 A$3.46
$0.89 MX$16.79
153.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.58 A$10.09
$3.09 MX$58.5
112.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.07 A$10.83
$4.58 MX$86.6
54.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairns
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 A$2.61
$1.38 MX$26.04
23.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.51 A$3.85
$1.85 MX$34.9
35.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 A$4.15
$1.57 MX$29.68
72.61%
Eggs
$3.93 A$6.02
$2.55 MX$48.3
54.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.87 A$12.06
$8.61 MX$163
-8.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 A$14.08
$8.54 MX$161
7.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.84 A$19.67
$10.98 MX$208
16.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 A$4.58
$2.72 MX$51.4
9.93%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 A$3.53
$1.51 MX$28.57
52.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.66 A$4.07
$1.88 MX$35.63
41.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.39 A$11.32
$2.19 MX$41.42
237.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.5
$1.87 MX$35.3
21.93%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 A$3.42
$2.19 MX$41.37
1.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 A$3.47
$1.07 MX$20.23
112.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.88 A$4.42
$1.09 MX$20.64
164.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.83 A$45.69
$3.96 MX$74.9
653.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.03 A$16.89
$8.86 MX$167
24.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.39 A$5.2
$1.72 MX$32.53
97.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 A$5.39
$2.61 MX$49.37
34.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairns
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.22 A$4.94
$0.52 MX$9.74
519.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.4 A$100
$26.59 MX$503
146.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.44 A$9.86
$3.24 MX$61.2
98.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.13 A$4.8
$2.38 MX$44.94
31.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.86 A$51.9
$3.11 MX$58.7
988.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 A$1.77
$1.31 MX$24.85
-12.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.7K A$34.8K
$30.3K MX$573K
-25.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.2K A$29.4K
$24K MX$453.6K
-20.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairns
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$153 A$234
$84.2 MX$1,592
81.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.09 A$56.8
$22.14 MX$419
67.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59 A$90.3
$30.14 MX$570
95.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairns
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.89 A$59.6
$52 MX$983
-25.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.92 A$24.39
$18.72 MX$354
-14.96%
Cinema Ticket
$12.98 A$19.88
$5.07 MX$95.9
156.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairns
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,628 A$2,494
$200 MX$3,787
712.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$18.5K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
126.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairns
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83 A$127
$35.74 MX$676
132.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.2 A$101
$39.8 MX$753
66.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.2 A$150
$79 MX$1,493
24.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 A$206
$88.4 MX$1,671
52.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairns
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,193 A$1,828
$965 MX$18.3K
23.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,110 A$1,701
$474 MX$8,968
134.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,042 A$3,128
$1,653 MX$31.2K
23.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,858 A$2,847
$1,202 MX$22.7K
54.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,035 A$9,246
$3,081 MX$58.3K
95.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,795 A$7,346
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-36.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairns
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,813 A$4,310
$792 MX$15K
255.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.96
11.42
-39.05%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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