Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankston and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,438 in Frankston, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Frankston
Learn more

Frankston Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Frankston

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,438

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,438 per month in Frankston vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Frankston $2,438
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,403 per month in Frankston vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Frankston $3,403
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,369 per month in Frankston vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Frankston $4,369
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Frankston costs about 102% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Frankston sits 79% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.24 A$21.76

$10.92 MX$203

39.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 A$85.5

$43.37 MX$805

37.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 A$15.31

$11.78 MX$219

-9.00%

Cappuccino

$2.74 A$3.92

$3.81 MX$70.7

-28.08%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$1.28 MX$23.81

148.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 A$2.97

$0.78 MX$14.54

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.03 A$14.32

$3.17 MX$58.8

216.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 A$9.72

$4.93 MX$91.7

38.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 A$2.16

$1.41 MX$26.12

7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 A$3.74

$2.22 MX$41.17

18.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.94

$1.42 MX$26.32

45.07%

Eggs

$3.78 A$5.40

$2.52 MX$46.85

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 A$15.17

$7.26 MX$135

46.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 A$13.67

$7.70 MX$143

24.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 A$11.13

$12.69 MX$236

-38.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 A$3.82

$2.78 MX$51.7

-3.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.51

$1.37 MX$25.41

130.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 A$3.94

$2.55 MX$47.37

8.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.89

$2.12 MX$39.43

28.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.94 MX$36.00

56.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 A$3.71

$1.89 MX$35.02

37.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.45

$1.15 MX$21.29

109.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.96

$1.18 MX$21.89

16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$61.1

$4.30 MX$79.8

895.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.28 A$8.97

$9.95 MX$185

-36.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 A$4.64

$1.58 MX$29.41

105.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 A$6.03

$2.67 MX$49.60

58.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.61 A$5.16

$0.55 MX$10.28

556.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.1 A$119

$26.62 MX$494

212.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 A$6.34

$4.97 MX$92.3

-10.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.05

$3.33 MX$61.9

-56.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.55 A$43.63

$5.36 MX$99.5

469.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.44 MX$26.82

-20.14%

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

$29.7K A$42.4K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

43.66%

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

$26.3K A$37.6K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

12.17%

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

$228 A$326

$84.8 MX$1,575

169.29%

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

$10.68 A$15.26

$23.41 MX$435

-54.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 A$81.0

$28.66 MX$532

98.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 A$81.4

$57.1 MX$1,059

-0.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 A$25.24

$28.91 MX$537

-38.88%

Cinema Ticket

$17.47 A$24.95

$5.14 MX$95.4

239.88%

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

$2,450 A$3,499

$207 MX$3,836

1086.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K A$43.4K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

672.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.9 A$114

$43.35 MX$805

84.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 A$73.2

$41.44 MX$770

23.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 A$126

$74.2 MX$1,378

18.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.59 A$69.4

$89.3 MX$1,657

-45.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 A$2,007

$980 MX$18.2K

43.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 A$1,780

$381 MX$7,072

227.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 A$3,169

$1,708 MX$31.7K

29.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 A$2,629

$1,075 MX$20.0K

71.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,812 A$8,300

$3,943 MX$73.2K

47.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,351 A$7,641

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-13.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,360 A$6,227

$735 MX$13.6K

493.65%

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 Frankston: 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

Frankston

$1.2K 51.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 69.5% $866

Groceries & Markets

Frankston

$302 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 15.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankston

$296 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 53.7% $159

Eating Out

Frankston

$272 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 25.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Frankston

$120 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.3% $8.8

Getting Around

Frankston

$109 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 53.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Frankston

$92 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 26.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,405 in Frankston versus $980 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.

Salaries in Frankston are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Frankston versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Frankston

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

04:04 4:04 AM

16 h behind Frankston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,331

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Frankston Playa del Carmen 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Frankston
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

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

Yes – Frankston is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,658 per month in Frankston and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,405 in Frankston.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Frankston, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Frankston and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Frankston at $2,438. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Frankston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Frankston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.