Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gladstone and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,533 in Gladstone, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Gladstone
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Gladstone Living Index
58

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

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Gladstone

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,533

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,533 in Gladstone versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Gladstone $2,533
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,459 in Gladstone versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Gladstone $3,459
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,385 in Gladstone versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Gladstone $4,385
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Gladstone is roughly 110% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gladstone is 86% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 A$25.14

$10.92 MX$204

61.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 A$115

$43.37 MX$810

86.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 A$16.91

$11.78 MX$220

0.93%

Cappuccino

$4.13 A$5.87

$3.81 MX$71.2

8.40%

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

$3.10 A$4.41

$1.28 MX$23.96

142.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.91

$0.78 MX$14.63

252.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.52 A$10.69

$3.17 MX$59.2

137.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.28 A$13.20

$4.93 MX$92.2

88.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.41 MX$26.28

7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 A$3.88

$2.22 MX$41.43

22.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$1.42 MX$26.48

61.97%

Eggs

$4.85 A$6.90

$2.52 MX$47.14

92.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 A$13.13

$7.26 MX$136

27.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.09

$7.70 MX$144

19.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.61

$12.69 MX$237

14.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 A$5.45

$2.78 MX$52.0

37.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.44

$1.37 MX$25.56

127.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.69

$2.55 MX$47.66

29.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 A$6.64

$2.12 MX$39.67

120.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.75

$1.94 MX$36.22

35.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$1.89 MX$35.24

25.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$1.15 MX$21.42

109.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 A$2.29

$1.18 MX$22.03

36.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.88 A$59.6

$4.30 MX$80.3

873.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 A$19.78

$9.95 MX$186

39.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 A$6.90

$1.58 MX$29.59

206.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 A$7.61

$2.67 MX$49.91

100.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.02

$0.55 MX$10.34

414.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 A$121

$26.62 MX$497

218.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 A$5.72

$4.97 MX$92.9

-19.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.98

$3.33 MX$62.2

-58.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.05 A$62.6

$5.36 MX$100

721.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.80

$1.44 MX$26.98

-11.81%

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

$26.9K A$38.2K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

30.08%

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

$24.9K A$35.4K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

6.23%

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

$205 A$291

$84.8 MX$1,584

141.49%

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

$27.56 A$39.19

$23.41 MX$437

17.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 A$77.3

$28.66 MX$535

89.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$79.8

$57.1 MX$1,066

-1.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 A$25.07

$28.91 MX$540

-39.02%

Cinema Ticket

$13.90 A$19.77

$5.14 MX$96.0

170.43%

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

$1,958 A$2,785

$207 MX$3,860

848.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$28.9K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

418.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$100

$43.35 MX$810

62.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.5 A$88.8

$41.44 MX$774

50.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 A$140

$74.2 MX$1,386

32.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$174

$89.3 MX$1,668

37.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 A$1,964

$980 MX$18.3K

41.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,739

$381 MX$7,116

221.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 A$1,948

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-19.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 A$2,083

$1,075 MX$20.1K

36.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,583 A$7,939

$3,943 MX$73.7K

41.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,980 A$7,081

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-19.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,599 A$7,962

$735 MX$13.7K

662.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

11.45

-54.15%

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

Last update for Gladstone: October 25, 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

Gladstone

$1.2K 48.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 68.9% $842

Groceries & Markets

Gladstone

$367 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 30.6% $112

Eating Out

Gladstone

$306 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 33.9% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gladstone

$287 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.3% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Gladstone

$159 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.9% $48

Getting Around

Gladstone

$107 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Gladstone

$84 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 19.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,381 in Gladstone and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gladstone pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Gladstone vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $367 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gladstone

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

06:04 6:04 AM

15 h behind Gladstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,703

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gladstone Playa del Carmen 14,040 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Gladstone
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Gladstone. 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 Gladstone is about 7.6 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: $1,381 in Gladstone versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,533 per month in Gladstone versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 69% less than in Gladstone. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,533 in Gladstone, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gladstone. 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 52% less than in Gladstone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.