Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kerikeri and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,901 in Kerikeri, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Kerikeri
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Kerikeri Living Index
58

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

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Kerikeri

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,901

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,901 per month in Kerikeri vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kerikeri $1,901
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,858 per month in Kerikeri vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kerikeri $2,858
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,815 per month in Kerikeri vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kerikeri $3,815
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kerikeri costs about 58% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kerikeri sits 40% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 NZ$24.84

$10.92 MX$205

28.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 NZ$122

$43.37 MX$814

58.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 NZ$16.32

$11.78 MX$221

-21.99%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.96

$3.81 MX$71.5

-12.07%

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

$2.05 NZ$3.64

$1.28 MX$24.07

60.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$0.78 MX$14.70

128.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 NZ$11.76

$3.17 MX$59.5

108.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 NZ$11.93

$4.93 MX$92.7

36.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.41 MX$26.40

36.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.94

$2.22 MX$41.62

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.42 MX$26.61

33.10%

Eggs

$6.31 NZ$11.21

$2.52 MX$47.36

150.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 NZ$14.05

$7.26 MX$136

9.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 NZ$18.06

$7.70 MX$144

32.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.40 NZ$30.89

$12.69 MX$238

37.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.09

$2.78 MX$52.3

3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.87

$1.37 MX$25.68

59.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.33

$2.55 MX$47.89

17.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 NZ$10.67

$2.12 MX$39.86

183.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.94 MX$36.39

6.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.71

$1.89 MX$35.41

-19.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 NZ$3.50

$1.15 MX$21.53

71.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 NZ$0.97

$1.18 MX$22.13

-54.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.72 NZ$49.22

$4.30 MX$80.6

544.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 NZ$18.76

$9.95 MX$187

6.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$1.58 MX$29.73

82.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 NZ$6.08

$2.67 MX$50.1

28.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$0.55 MX$10.39

216.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 NZ$189

$26.62 MX$500

299.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 NZ$3.11

$4.97 MX$93.3

-64.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.94

$3.33 MX$62.5

-50.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.70 NZ$58.1

$5.36 MX$101

510.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.87

$1.44 MX$27.11

12.50%

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

$26.7K NZ$47.5K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

29.35%

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

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-5.75%

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

$119 NZ$212

$84.8 MX$1,592

40.59%

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

$27.03 NZ$48.00

$23.41 MX$439

15.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$90.1

$28.66 MX$538

77.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.13 NZ$67.7

$57.1 MX$1,071

-33.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 NZ$18.35

$5.14 MX$96.5

101.17%

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

$1,059 NZ$1,880

$207 MX$3,878

412.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.5K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

394.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.4 NZ$141

$43.35 MX$814

83.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.58 NZ$59.6

$41.44 MX$778

-18.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 NZ$170

$74.2 MX$1,393

28.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$198

$89.3 MX$1,676

24.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$968 NZ$1,719

$980 MX$18.4K

-1.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 NZ$1,420

$381 MX$7,150

110.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 NZ$2,876

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-5.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,286

$1,075 MX$20.2K

19.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,323 NZ$7,676

$3,943 MX$74.0K

9.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,871 NZ$5,098

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-53.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,793 NZ$10.3K

$735 MX$13.8K

688.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

11.45

-53.10%

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

Last update for Kerikeri: 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

Kerikeri

$800 42.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 52.4% $419

Groceries & Markets

Kerikeri

$337 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 24.3% $82

Eating Out

Kerikeri

$242 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 16.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kerikeri

$197 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Kerikeri

$144 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.4% $32

Getting Around

Kerikeri

$123 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.1% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Kerikeri

$59 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 14.5% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $968 in Kerikeri 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 Kerikeri are about 7.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Kerikeri versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Kerikeri

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

18 h behind Kerikeri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

149,923

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kerikeri Playa del Carmen 12,100 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kerikeri
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

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

Kerikeri costs about 58% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,852 per month in Kerikeri 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 $968 in Kerikeri and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,059 per month in Kerikeri and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing 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 Kerikeri at $1,901. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kerikeri 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 $1,901 in Kerikeri. 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, Kerikeri makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.