Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Exmouth and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,489 in Exmouth, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Exmouth, Australia
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Exmouth
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,489
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,489 per month in Exmouth vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Exmouth $2,489
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,584 per month in Exmouth vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Exmouth $3,584
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,678 per month in Exmouth vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Exmouth $4,678
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Exmouth costs about 107% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Exmouth sits 84% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Exmouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.58 A$24.98
$10.86 MX$203
61.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.5 A$120
$44.21 MX$824
91.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.55 A$14.99
$11.76 MX$219
-10.29%
Cappuccino
$3.86 A$5.49
$3.68 MX$68.6
4.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 A$4.10
$1.34 MX$25.01
115.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 A$3.26
$0.82 MX$15.38
180.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.46 A$10.61
$3.06 MX$57.1
143.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.64 A$10.85
$4.94 MX$92.1
54.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Exmouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 A$2.25
$1.47 MX$27.41
7.48%
White Bread (500g)
$2.64 A$3.76
$2.22 MX$41.32
18.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 A$3.13
$1.48 MX$27.57
48.65%
Eggs
$4.75 A$6.75
$2.49 MX$46.41
90.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.34 A$13.27
$7.52 MX$140
24.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.08 A$12.90
$7.96 MX$148
14.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.90 A$21.17
$12.57 MX$234
18.54%
Apples (1kg)
$3.78 A$5.37
$2.78 MX$51.8
35.97%
Banana (1kg)
$2.97 A$4.22
$1.43 MX$26.61
107.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.20 A$4.54
$2.62 MX$48.81
22.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.61 A$6.55
$2.14 MX$39.85
115.42%
Potato (1kg)
$2.68 A$3.81
$2.02 MX$37.72
32.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 A$3.29
$1.99 MX$37.08
16.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 A$3.32
$1.14 MX$21.20
105.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 A$2.19
$1.20 MX$22.38
28.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$41.38 A$58.8
$4.26 MX$79.4
871.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.76 A$19.55
$10.02 MX$187
37.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.62 A$6.56
$1.54 MX$28.67
200.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.14 A$7.31
$2.66 MX$49.62
93.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Exmouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.79 A$3.97
$0.53 MX$9.82
426.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.6 A$114
$27.51 MX$513
192.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 A$4.90
$4.90 MX$91.4
-29.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 A$2.20
$3.43 MX$64.1
-54.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.53 A$56.2
$5.38 MX$100
634.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 A$1.84
$1.45 MX$27.00
-10.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.5K A$37.7K
$21.2K MX$394.5K
25.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K A$42.5K
$23.0K MX$429.2K
29.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Exmouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$204 A$290
$85.4 MX$1,592
139.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.80 A$39.50
$23.46 MX$438
18.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.8 A$79.3
$28.43 MX$530
96.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Exmouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.5 A$80.2
$62.2 MX$1,160
-9.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.56 A$24.95
$28.68 MX$535
-38.77%
Cinema Ticket
$14.56 A$20.69
$5.10 MX$95.2
185.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Exmouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,165 A$3,077
$201 MX$3,749
976.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.1K A$28.6K
$3,947 MX$73.6K
409.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Exmouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.9 A$108
$44.39 MX$828
70.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 A$76.3
$41.35 MX$771
29.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 A$151
$72.7 MX$1,356
46.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 A$173
$89.6 MX$1,671
36.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Exmouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,411 A$2,006
$979 MX$18.3K
44.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 A$1,701
$373 MX$6,950
221.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,161 A$3,070
$1,681 MX$31.3K
28.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,776 A$2,523
$1,095 MX$20.4K
62.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,789 A$8,226
$3,949 MX$73.6K
46.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,878 A$6,932
$6,137 MX$114.4K
-20.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Exmouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.84
11.45
-49.00%

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

Last update for Exmouth: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Exmouth
$1.2K
Playa del Carmen
$373 68.9% $825
Groceries & Markets
Exmouth
$362
Playa del Carmen
$258 28.7% $104
Eating Out
Exmouth
$292
Playa del Carmen
$200 31.4% $92
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Exmouth
$288
Playa del Carmen
$137 52.3% $151
Clothing & Footwear
Exmouth
$161
Playa del Carmen
$112 30.7% $49
Getting Around
Exmouth
$103
Playa del Carmen
$52 49.8% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Exmouth
$86
Playa del Carmen
$72 15.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,411 in Exmouth versus $979 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 $84 in Exmouth versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Exmouth
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
04:46 4:46 AM
15:46 3:46 PM
13 h behind Exmouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,500
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.89 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Exmouth Playa del Carmen 17,820 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Exmouth
  • 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
Exmouth vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Exmouth or Playa del Carmen?
Exmouth costs about 107% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Exmouth and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,734 per month in Exmouth and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Exmouth or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $979 there versus $1,411 in Exmouth.
How do childcare costs compare in Exmouth and in Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $2,165 per month in Exmouth and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Exmouth or in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 40% more in Exmouth, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Exmouth or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Exmouth at $2,489. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Exmouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 107% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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