Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalgoorlie and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,944 in Kalgoorlie, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Kalgoorlie
Learn more

Kalgoorlie Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Kalgoorlie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,944

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,944 in Kalgoorlie versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Kalgoorlie $1,944
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,314 in Kalgoorlie versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Kalgoorlie $3,314
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,684 in Kalgoorlie versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Kalgoorlie $4,684
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Kalgoorlie is roughly 61% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kalgoorlie is 43% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.45 A$24.80

$10.92 MX$204

59.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 A$121

$43.37 MX$808

96.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 A$14.97

$11.78 MX$220

-10.61%

Cappuccino

$4.68 A$6.64

$3.81 MX$71.0

22.83%

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

$3.76 A$5.35

$1.28 MX$23.90

193.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 A$4.94

$0.78 MX$14.59

344.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 A$8.72

$3.17 MX$59.0

93.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 A$10.42

$4.93 MX$92.0

48.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.24

$1.41 MX$26.22

11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.46 A$4.92

$2.22 MX$41.33

55.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 A$3.20

$1.42 MX$26.42

58.45%

Eggs

$4.64 A$6.59

$2.52 MX$47.03

84.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 A$13.63

$7.26 MX$135

32.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 A$13.43

$7.70 MX$143

22.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 A$21.29

$12.69 MX$237

18.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 A$5.44

$2.78 MX$51.9

37.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$1.37 MX$25.50

127.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.64

$2.55 MX$47.55

28.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 A$6.42

$2.12 MX$39.58

113.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 A$3.95

$1.94 MX$36.13

43.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.51

$1.89 MX$35.16

30.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 A$3.02

$1.15 MX$21.37

85.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 A$2.26

$1.18 MX$21.98

34.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.62 A$59.1

$4.30 MX$80.1

867.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 A$19.94

$9.95 MX$185

41.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 A$6.90

$1.58 MX$29.52

206.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.42

$2.67 MX$49.79

95.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 A$4.00

$0.55 MX$10.31

410.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.1 A$118

$26.62 MX$496

212.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.02

$4.97 MX$92.6

-28.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 A$2.40

$3.33 MX$62.1

-49.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.29 A$61.5

$5.36 MX$99.8

707.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.44 MX$26.92

-6.25%

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

$26.5K A$37.7K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

28.26%

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

$28.3K A$40.3K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

20.81%

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

$312 A$443

$84.8 MX$1,581

267.53%

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

$56.5 A$80.3

$23.41 MX$436

141.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 A$98.1

$28.66 MX$534

140.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.33 A$54.5

$57.1 MX$1,063

-32.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.58 A$26.40

$28.91 MX$539

-35.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.77 A$25.26

$5.14 MX$95.8

245.72%

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

$2,057 A$2,923

$207 MX$3,851

895.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K A$25.1K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

350.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 A$109

$43.35 MX$808

77.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 A$78.7

$41.44 MX$772

33.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$154

$74.2 MX$1,383

45.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$150

$89.3 MX$1,664

18.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 A$1,965

$980 MX$18.3K

41.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$493 A$701

$381 MX$7,099

29.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 A$2,360

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-2.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 A$2,244

$1,075 MX$20.0K

46.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,521 A$9,266

$3,943 MX$73.5K

65.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,802 A$6,824

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-22.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,189 A$8,793

$735 MX$13.7K

742.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

11.45

-45.41%

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

Last update for Kalgoorlie: October 26, 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

Kalgoorlie

$493 25.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 22.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalgoorlie

$437 22.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 68.7% $300

Groceries & Markets

Kalgoorlie

$376 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 32.2% $121

Eating Out

Kalgoorlie

$302 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 32.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Kalgoorlie

$156 8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 28.3% $44

Getting Around

Kalgoorlie

$106 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Kalgoorlie

$74 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,383 in Kalgoorlie and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kalgoorlie pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Kalgoorlie vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $376 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Kalgoorlie

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

18:09 6:09 PM

13 h behind Kalgoorlie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,068

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kalgoorlie Playa del Carmen 16,950 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Kalgoorlie
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Kalgoorlie. 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 Kalgoorlie is about 8.4 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: $1,383 in Kalgoorlie versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 68% less than in Kalgoorlie. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,057 in Kalgoorlie versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,944 in Kalgoorlie, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kalgoorlie. 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 38% less than in Kalgoorlie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.