Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cook Islands and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,533 in the Cook Islands, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in the Cook Islands
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Cook Islands Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,533

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: The Cook Islands is 1.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 26.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: The Cook Islands is 0.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 18.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.04 NZ$19.67

$10.97 MX$201

0.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 NZ$99.5

$44.85 MX$823

24.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 NZ$12.41

$11.92 MX$219

-41.61%

Cappuccino

$3.46 NZ$6.16

$3.80 MX$69.9

-8.95%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.35

$1.31 MX$24.08

86.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 NZ$4.30

$0.86 MX$15.72

180.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 NZ$9.97

$3.21 MX$59.0

74.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 NZ$8.87

$5.01 MX$92.0

-0.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 NZ$4.07

$1.46 MX$26.77

56.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 NZ$5.55

$2.33 MX$42.72

33.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.44 MX$26.48

20.14%

Eggs

$5.49 NZ$9.78

$2.46 MX$45.20

123.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 NZ$15.99

$7.70 MX$141

16.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 NZ$14.13

$7.89 MX$145

0.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 NZ$17.70

$12.80 MX$235

-22.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 NZ$5.08

$2.92 MX$53.6

-2.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 NZ$2.95

$1.42 MX$26.11

16.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 NZ$6.01

$2.57 MX$47.10

31.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.86 NZ$15.80

$2.14 MX$39.24

314.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.87

$1.95 MX$35.75

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 NZ$4.06

$1.94 MX$35.55

17.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 NZ$4.02

$1.15 MX$21.13

96.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

$1.22 MX$22.42

134.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.19 NZ$19.94

$4.38 MX$80.3

155.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 NZ$22.05

$9.85 MX$181

25.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 NZ$5.88

$1.54 MX$28.23

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 NZ$8.36

$2.72 MX$49.86

72.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 NZ$5.01

$0.52 MX$9.64

440.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.31 NZ$34.40

$4.91 MX$90.2

293.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.83 NZ$60.3

$5.69 MX$104

494.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$1.54 MX$28.27

25.97%

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

$11.2K NZ$19.9K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

-47.48%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

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

$104 NZ$186

$83.6 MX$1,535

24.70%

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

$46.77 NZ$83.3

$24.03 MX$441

94.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 NZ$180

$29.33 MX$539

244.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

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

$208 MX$3,813

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$689 NZ$1,228

$986 MX$18.1K

-30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 NZ$1,265

$385 MX$7,072

84.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 NZ$692

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-77.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 NZ$1,106

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-43.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$945 NZ$1,684

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-84.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,914 NZ$6,974

$758 MX$13.9K

416.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for the Cook Islands: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cook Islands

$710 45.3%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 45.7% $325

Groceries & Markets

Cook Islands

$368 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 29.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cook Islands

$252 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 45.7% $115

Eating Out

Cook Islands

$208 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 2% $4.1

Getting Around

Cook Islands

$31 * 2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 70.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cook Islands

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Cook Islands

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Good to know

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:52 10:52 PM

03:52 3:52 AM

5 h ahead of the Cook Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,222

149,923

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cook Islands Playa del Carmen 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cook Islands
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

Cook Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cook Islands and Playa del Carmen

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Cook Islands

Playa del Carmen

Cook Islands

Playa del Carmen

Cook Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared

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