Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Goulburn and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,369 in Goulburn, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Goulburn
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Goulburn Living Index
58

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

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Goulburn

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,369

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,369 per month in Goulburn vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Goulburn $2,369
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,337 per month in Goulburn vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Goulburn $3,337
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,306 per month in Goulburn vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Goulburn $4,306
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Goulburn costs about 97% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Goulburn sits 74% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.52 A$24.90

$10.92 MX$205

60.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 A$127

$43.37 MX$814

106.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.61 A$12.24

$11.78 MX$221

-26.91%

Cappuccino

$3.20 A$4.55

$3.81 MX$71.5

-16.01%

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

$2.86 A$4.07

$1.28 MX$24.07

123.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.15

$0.78 MX$14.70

184.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 A$11.41

$3.17 MX$59.5

153.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 A$10.61

$4.93 MX$92.7

51.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 A$1.35

$1.41 MX$26.40

-32.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 A$2.47

$2.22 MX$41.62

-21.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$1.42 MX$26.61

61.97%

Eggs

$4.99 A$7.09

$2.52 MX$47.36

98.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 A$17.21

$7.26 MX$136

66.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.39

$7.70 MX$144

22.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.76 A$23.82

$12.69 MX$238

32.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.78 MX$52.3

14.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 A$2.54

$1.37 MX$25.68

30.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 A$2.52

$2.55 MX$47.89

-30.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 A$5.04

$2.12 MX$39.86

66.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.43

$1.94 MX$36.39

24.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.89 MX$35.41

-28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.15 MX$21.53

20.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 A$1.47

$1.18 MX$22.13

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.00 A$64.0

$4.30 MX$80.6

946.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 A$11.66

$9.95 MX$187

-17.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.83

$1.58 MX$29.73

160.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 A$5.99

$2.67 MX$50.1

57.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 A$4.05

$0.55 MX$10.39

418.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 A$118

$26.62 MX$500

211.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 A$4.05

$4.97 MX$93.3

-42.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.34

$3.33 MX$62.5

-50.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 A$56.5

$5.36 MX$101

640.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.44 MX$27.11

3.47%

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

$29.8K A$42.3K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

44.05%

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

$27.6K A$39.2K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

17.63%

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

$105 A$149

$84.8 MX$1,592

23.88%

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

$27.97 A$39.76

$23.41 MX$439

19.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 A$80.8

$28.66 MX$538

98.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 A$86.5

$57.1 MX$1,071

6.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.12 A$24.33

$28.91 MX$543

-40.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 A$11.86

$5.14 MX$96.5

62.45%

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

$2,393 A$3,402

$207 MX$3,878

1058.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$39.5K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

607.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$114

$43.35 MX$814

84.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.0 A$99.4

$41.44 MX$778

68.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$160

$74.2 MX$1,393

51.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$183

$89.3 MX$1,676

44.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 A$1,987

$980 MX$18.4K

42.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 A$1,743

$381 MX$7,150

221.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,339 A$3,324

$1,708 MX$32.1K

36.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 A$2,238

$1,075 MX$20.2K

46.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,008 A$8,539

$3,943 MX$74.0K

52.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,683 A$8,078

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-7.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,079 A$5,798

$735 MX$13.8K

455.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

11.45

-48.30%

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

Last update for Goulburn: 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

Goulburn

$1.2K 51.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 68.9% $845

Groceries & Markets

Goulburn

$314 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 19% $60

Eating Out

Goulburn

$280 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Goulburn

$190 8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 27.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Goulburn

$176 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 36.5% $64

Getting Around

Goulburn

$105 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Goulburn

$78 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,398 in Goulburn 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 Goulburn are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Goulburn versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Goulburn

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

02:08 2:08 AM

16 h behind Goulburn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,963

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Goulburn Playa del Carmen 14,280 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Goulburn
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

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

Yes – Goulburn is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,554 per month in Goulburn 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 $1,398 in Goulburn.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Goulburn, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Goulburn 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 Goulburn at $2,369. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Goulburn 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, Goulburn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.