Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich, Australia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,055 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Ipswich

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,055

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,055 per month in Ipswich vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ipswich $2,055
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,914 per month in Ipswich vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ipswich $2,914
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,773 per month in Ipswich vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ipswich $3,773
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ipswich costs about 71% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ipswich sits 51% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.17 A$45.57

$10.92 MX$203

194.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 A$107

$43.37 MX$808

74.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 A$14.24

$11.78 MX$219

-14.69%

Cappuccino

$4.60 A$6.51

$3.81 MX$71.0

20.73%

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

$3.76 A$5.33

$1.28 MX$23.89

193.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.44

$0.78 MX$14.58

211.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.24 A$13.09

$3.17 MX$59.0

191.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 A$10.87

$4.93 MX$91.9

55.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 A$3.53

$1.41 MX$26.20

76.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 A$3.41

$2.22 MX$41.30

8.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.20

$1.42 MX$26.40

59.15%

Eggs

$7.19 A$10.18

$2.52 MX$47.00

185.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 A$10.19

$7.26 MX$135

-0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 A$12.25

$7.70 MX$143

12.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 A$19.50

$12.69 MX$236

8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.72

$2.78 MX$51.9

19.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 A$3.82

$1.37 MX$25.49

97.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.89

$2.55 MX$47.52

7.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 A$5.37

$2.12 MX$39.55

78.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 A$2.83

$1.94 MX$36.11

3.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.92

$1.89 MX$35.13

8.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 A$3.45

$1.15 MX$21.36

112.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 A$2.41

$1.18 MX$21.96

44.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.66 A$63.3

$4.30 MX$80.0

938.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.65 A$30.68

$9.95 MX$185

117.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.39 A$9.05

$1.58 MX$29.50

304.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 A$10.15

$2.67 MX$49.76

168.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$0.55 MX$10.31

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 A$3.10

$4.97 MX$92.6

-55.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.33

$3.33 MX$62.1

-50.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.81 A$50.7

$5.36 MX$99.8

568.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 A$2.01

$1.44 MX$26.90

-1.39%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

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

$91.8 A$130

$84.8 MX$1,580

8.22%

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

$31.51 A$44.64

$23.41 MX$436

34.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.6 A$88.7

$28.66 MX$534

118.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.21 A$24.37

$57.1 MX$1,063

-69.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

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

$207 MX$3,848

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 A$1,480

$980 MX$18.2K

6.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 A$1,452

$381 MX$7,095

169.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 A$1,987

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-17.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 A$1,956

$1,075 MX$20.0K

28.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,151 A$5,880

$735 MX$13.7K

465.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.98

11.45

-47.77%

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

Last update for Ipswich: 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

Ipswich

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Ipswich

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Ipswich

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,045 in Ipswich 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 Ipswich are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Ipswich versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ipswich

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

03:21 3:21 AM

15 h behind Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,208

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Ipswich Playa del Carmen 13,950 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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Ipswich
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

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

Yes – Ipswich is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,082 per month in Ipswich and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,045 in Ipswich and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Ipswich, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Ipswich 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 Ipswich at $2,055. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ipswich it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,055 in Ipswich. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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