Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castle Hill and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,513 in Castle Hill, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Castle Hill
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Castle Hill Living Index
57

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

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Castle Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,513

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,513 per month in Castle Hill vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Castle Hill $2,513
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,591 per month in Castle Hill vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Castle Hill $3,591
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,670 per month in Castle Hill vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Castle Hill $4,670
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Castle Hill costs about 109% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Castle Hill 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

$14.63 A$20.95

$10.67 MX$199

37.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 A$96.1

$43.80 MX$815

53.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 A$15.34

$11.79 MX$219

-9.08%

Cappuccino

$4.12 A$5.90

$3.79 MX$70.5

8.71%

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

$2.90 A$4.15

$1.30 MX$24.14

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.18

$0.83 MX$15.51

167.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 A$11.36

$3.15 MX$58.6

152.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 A$10.61

$4.93 MX$91.8

50.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.41 MX$26.22

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 A$3.49

$2.20 MX$40.86

10.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 A$5.97

$1.47 MX$27.40

183.67%

Eggs

$5.63 A$8.06

$2.50 MX$46.46

125.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.19

$7.29 MX$136

26.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 A$13.57

$7.95 MX$148

19.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.64 A$20.96

$12.86 MX$239

13.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 A$5.53

$2.90 MX$53.9

33.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.52

$1.38 MX$25.74

128.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.70

$2.49 MX$46.35

31.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 A$6.72

$2.03 MX$37.77

131.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$2.02 MX$37.68

31.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.90 MX$35.42

30.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.31

$1.14 MX$21.30

102.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.29

$1.24 MX$23.05

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.87 A$59.9

$4.27 MX$79.5

880.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.94

$9.81 MX$183

42.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.65 A$6.66

$1.59 MX$29.51

192.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.48

$2.75 MX$51.1

90.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 A$3.97

$0.51 MX$9.58

443.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 A$121

$27.39 MX$510

209.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.95

$4.76 MX$88.6

-27.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$3.25 MX$60.5

-49.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.89 A$58.5

$5.39 MX$100

658.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.86

$1.53 MX$28.44

-15.03%

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

$29.5K A$42.2K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

38.88%

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

$25.9K A$37.0K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

11.17%

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

$207 A$297

$83.5 MX$1,554

148.34%

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

$28.25 A$40.44

$23.19 MX$431

21.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.1

$27.61 MX$514

107.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 A$78.8

$56.4 MX$1,050

-2.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.87 A$25.59

$28.19 MX$525

-36.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.17 A$20.29

$5.00 MX$93.1

183.40%

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

$2,170 A$3,106

$207 MX$3,854

947.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K A$29.6K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

295.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.9 A$112

$43.45 MX$809

79.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 A$77.9

$42.54 MX$792

27.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$156

$72.8 MX$1,354

49.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$179

$88.4 MX$1,645

41.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,017

$995 MX$18.5K

41.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,739

$382 MX$7,116

217.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,283 A$3,269

$1,674 MX$31.2K

36.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 A$2,648

$1,081 MX$20.1K

71.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,746 A$8,225

$3,909 MX$72.7K

47.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,011 A$7,173

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-18.36%

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 Castle Hill: 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

Castle Hill

$1.2K 48.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.5% $832

Groceries & Markets

Castle Hill

$376 15%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 31.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castle Hill

$293 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 54.2% $159

Eating Out

Castle Hill

$274 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 26.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Castle Hill

$165 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 32.5% $53

Getting Around

Castle Hill

$107 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 53% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Castle Hill

$83 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 20.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,409 in Castle Hill 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 $67 in Castle Hill 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

🇦🇺 Castle Hill

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

18:41 6:41 PM

16 h behind Castle Hill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,284

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Castle Hill Playa del Carmen 14,160 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Castle Hill
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,513 in Castle Hill, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 52% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,769 per month in Castle Hill 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 $1,409 in Castle Hill.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Castle Hill and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,513 in Castle Hill and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 52% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Castle Hill at $2,513. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Castle Hill 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.