Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,794 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
59

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

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Dunedin versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Dunedin $1,794
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,661 in Dunedin versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Dunedin $2,661
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,527 in Dunedin versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Dunedin $3,527
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Dunedin is roughly 48% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dunedin is 33% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 NZ$24.43

$10.76 MX$199

28.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 NZ$109

$43.03 MX$795

43.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 NZ$19.54

$11.79 MX$218

-6.28%

Cappuccino

$3.28 NZ$5.80

$3.87 MX$71.4

-15.25%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.58

$1.37 MX$25.29

48.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.61

$0.84 MX$15.44

142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.92

$3.10 MX$57.3

117.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 NZ$11.09

$5.07 MX$93.6

23.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.44 MX$26.55

47.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$2.23 MX$41.23

-12.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$1.47 MX$27.17

14.29%

Eggs

$5.75 NZ$10.16

$2.53 MX$46.71

127.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 NZ$15.10

$7.30 MX$135

16.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 NZ$16.72

$7.86 MX$145

20.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.19

$12.79 MX$236

29.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.30

$2.90 MX$53.6

3.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$1.44 MX$26.53

65.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.56

$2.55 MX$47.07

23.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NZ$8.72

$2.06 MX$38.03

139.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$2.00 MX$36.97

-7.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$2.01 MX$37.07

-9.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 NZ$4.13

$1.19 MX$22.02

96.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.04

$1.26 MX$23.23

-53.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.71 NZ$36.63

$4.40 MX$81.4

370.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 NZ$15.75

$9.59 MX$177

-7.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$1.59 MX$29.41

94.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.12

$2.81 MX$51.9

-57.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$0.57 MX$10.47

94.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 NZ$117

$27.82 MX$514

137.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 NZ$9.66

$4.98 MX$92.1

9.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.62 NZ$48.84

$5.40 MX$99.8

411.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$1.47 MX$27.08

19.73%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

21.83%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

4.10%

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

$111 NZ$196

$84.2 MX$1,556

31.77%

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

$28.15 NZ$49.78

$23.99 MX$443

17.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$92.9

$29.02 MX$536

81.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.73 NZ$84.4

$63.0 MX$1,164

-24.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 NZ$18.33

$4.94 MX$91.3

109.72%

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

$570 NZ$1,009

$204 MX$3,763

180.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 NZ$104

$43.60 MX$806

34.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 NZ$61.1

$43.12 MX$797

-19.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 NZ$164

$75.8 MX$1,400

22.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$234

$88.6 MX$1,637

49.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 NZ$1,545

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-13.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NZ$1,324

$374 MX$6,911

100.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 NZ$2,617

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-13.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 NZ$2,031

$1,106 MX$20.4K

3.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,200 NZ$3,890

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-64.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,425 NZ$4,288

$754 MX$13.9K

221.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

11.45

-38.25%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$749 41.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 50.1% $375

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$321 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 19.4% $62

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 17.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 28.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 21.1% $30

Getting Around

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 30.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 6.5% $4.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $873 in Dunedin and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 222% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

18 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

149,923

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Playa del Carmen 12,580 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
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

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

Dunedin and Playa del Carmen differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $1,210 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 222% higher in Dunedin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $873 in Dunedin versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 137% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $570 in Dunedin versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,794 in Dunedin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. 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.

Safety-wise, Dunedin and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.