Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Epping and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,637 in Epping, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Epping
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Epping Living Index
57

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

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Epping

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,637

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,637 in Epping versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Epping $2,637
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,717 in Epping versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Epping $3,717
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,798 in Epping versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Epping $4,798
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Epping is roughly 119% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Epping is 95% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 A$17.94

$10.67 MX$199

17.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.3 A$92.1

$43.80 MX$815

46.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 A$16.69

$11.79 MX$219

-1.10%

Cappuccino

$3.12 A$4.47

$3.79 MX$70.5

-17.68%

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

$2.46 A$3.53

$1.30 MX$24.14

89.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 A$3.65

$0.83 MX$15.51

207.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 A$11.68

$3.15 MX$58.6

159.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.56 A$12.25

$4.93 MX$91.8

73.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.18

$1.41 MX$26.22

7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 A$3.08

$2.20 MX$40.86

-2.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 A$2.68

$1.47 MX$27.40

27.21%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.56

$2.50 MX$46.46

111.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 A$14.49

$7.29 MX$136

38.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 A$12.15

$7.95 MX$148

6.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 A$21.50

$12.86 MX$239

16.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 A$4.95

$2.90 MX$53.9

19.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 A$4.01

$1.38 MX$25.74

102.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.52

$2.49 MX$46.35

-1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.97

$2.03 MX$37.77

70.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.44

$2.02 MX$37.68

18.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.16

$1.90 MX$35.42

16.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 A$3.02

$1.14 MX$21.30

85.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.24 MX$23.05

25.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.46 A$39.30

$4.27 MX$79.5

543.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 A$15.16

$9.81 MX$183

7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.44 A$6.35

$1.59 MX$29.51

179.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 A$6.78

$2.75 MX$51.1

72.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 A$4.58

$0.51 MX$9.58

527.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.3 A$119

$27.39 MX$510

203.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.14

$4.76 MX$88.6

-24.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$3.25 MX$60.5

-58.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.60 A$39.51

$5.39 MX$100

412.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 A$1.81

$1.53 MX$28.44

-17.65%

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

$17.4K A$24.9K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

-18.13%

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

$18.9K A$27.0K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

-18.94%

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

$139 A$199

$83.5 MX$1,554

66.56%

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

$28.02 A$40.11

$23.19 MX$431

20.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.70 A$64.0

$27.61 MX$514

61.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 A$80.7

$56.4 MX$1,050

-0.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.89 A$25.61

$28.19 MX$525

-36.54%

Cinema Ticket

$14.25 A$20.40

$5.00 MX$93.1

185.00%

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

$1,669 A$2,389

$207 MX$3,854

706.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K A$31.1K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

315.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$101

$43.45 MX$809

61.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.67 A$69.7

$42.54 MX$792

14.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 A$171

$72.8 MX$1,354

63.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$152

$88.4 MX$1,645

20.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 A$2,134

$995 MX$18.5K

49.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 A$2,135

$382 MX$7,116

290.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,359 A$3,377

$1,674 MX$31.2K

40.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 A$3,188

$1,081 MX$20.1K

106.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,850 A$8,375

$3,909 MX$72.7K

49.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,978 A$7,126

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-18.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,256 A$6,093

$832 MX$15.5K

411.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

11.45

-51.97%

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

Last update for Epping: November 2, 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

Epping

$1.5K 56.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 74.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Epping

$336 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 23.4% $79

Eating Out

Epping

$251 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 20.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Epping

$212 8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 36.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Epping

$155 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 28.3% $44

Getting Around

Epping

$106 4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Epping

$85 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 21.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,490 in Epping and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Epping pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Epping vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Epping

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

18:55 6:55 PM

16 h behind Epping

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,435

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

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

From you

Epping
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Epping. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Epping is about 5.1 times higher, 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: $1,490 in Epping versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $64 in Epping. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,637 per month in Epping versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,637 in Epping, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Epping. 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 54% less than in Epping. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.