Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleville and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,667 in Charleville, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Charleville
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Charleville Living Index
58

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

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Charleville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,667

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,667 in Charleville versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Charleville $2,667
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,579 in Charleville versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Charleville $3,579
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,492 in Charleville versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Charleville $4,492
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Charleville is roughly 121% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Charleville is 96% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.93 A$22.75

$10.92 MX$203

45.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 A$108

$43.37 MX$805

75.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.62 A$13.74

$11.78 MX$219

-18.34%

Cappuccino

$3.77 A$5.39

$3.81 MX$70.7

-1.05%

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

$2.81 A$4.01

$1.28 MX$23.81

119.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.19

$0.78 MX$14.54

185.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.37 A$11.96

$3.17 MX$58.8

164.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 A$10.26

$4.93 MX$91.7

45.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.41 MX$26.12

3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$4.02

$2.22 MX$41.17

26.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 A$3.03

$1.42 MX$26.32

49.30%

Eggs

$4.65 A$6.64

$2.52 MX$46.85

84.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 A$12.48

$7.26 MX$135

20.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 A$15.02

$7.70 MX$143

36.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.35 A$21.92

$12.69 MX$236

20.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 A$5.05

$2.78 MX$51.7

27.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.78

$1.37 MX$25.41

143.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 A$5.16

$2.55 MX$47.37

41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 A$7.17

$2.12 MX$39.43

136.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.76

$1.94 MX$36.00

35.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.99

$1.89 MX$35.02

47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 A$3.83

$1.15 MX$21.29

133.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.18 MX$21.89

39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$47.11 A$67.3

$4.30 MX$79.8

995.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 A$19.34

$9.95 MX$185

36.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.34 A$7.62

$1.58 MX$29.41

237.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 A$8.16

$2.67 MX$49.60

114.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 A$3.49

$0.55 MX$10.28

343.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 A$121

$26.62 MX$494

217.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 A$4.36

$4.97 MX$92.3

-38.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.03

$3.33 MX$61.9

-57.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.01 A$60.0

$5.36 MX$99.5

683.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.44 MX$26.82

4.17%

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

$31.7K A$45.3K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

53.43%

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

$25.1K A$35.9K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

7.06%

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

$210 A$300

$84.8 MX$1,575

147.79%

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

$26.08 A$37.25

$23.41 MX$435

11.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.76 A$71.1

$28.66 MX$532

73.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 A$82.0

$57.1 MX$1,059

0.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 A$22.92

$28.91 MX$537

-44.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 A$21.35

$5.14 MX$95.4

190.86%

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

$2,123 A$3,032

$207 MX$3,836

927.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K A$29.7K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

429.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$114

$43.35 MX$805

84.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 A$82.5

$41.44 MX$770

39.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 A$141

$74.2 MX$1,378

33.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 A$161

$89.3 MX$1,657

26.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 A$2,049

$980 MX$18.2K

46.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 A$1,960

$381 MX$7,072

260.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,550 A$3,642

$1,708 MX$31.7K

49.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 A$2,330

$1,075 MX$20.0K

51.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,919 A$8,453

$3,943 MX$73.2K

50.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,396 A$7,706

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-12.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

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 Charleville: October 27, 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

Charleville

$1.4K 51.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 72.3% $992

Groceries & Markets

Charleville

$381 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.2% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charleville

$286 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.1% $149

Eating Out

Charleville

$278 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.2% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Charleville

$157 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29% $46

Getting Around

Charleville

$105 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 51.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Charleville

$87 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 22.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,435 in Charleville and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76 in Charleville vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $381 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Charleville

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

03:51 3:51 AM

15 h behind Charleville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,300

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

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Charleville Playa del Carmen 14,580 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Charleville
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,000 in Charleville 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: $1,435 in Charleville versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,667 per month in Charleville versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 69% less than in Charleville. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,667 in Charleville, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Charleville. 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 55% less than in Charleville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.