Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Macquarie and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Macquarie and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Lake Macquarie is 38.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 62.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lake Macquarie is 15.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 47.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.76 A$17.99
$11.85 MX$205
7.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.0 A$110
$42.16 MX$730
84.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 A$13.39
$10.75 MX$186
-11.63%
Cappuccino
$3.27 A$4.61
$3.47 MX$60.2
-5.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 A$3.31
$1.45 MX$25.17
62.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 A$2.82
$0.90 MX$15.64
122.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 A$9.06
$3.05 MX$52.9
110.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.07 A$9.97
$4.42 MX$76.5
59.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 A$2.04
$1.37 MX$23.72
5.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.42 A$2.01
$1.87 MX$32.43
-24.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 A$1.66
$1.54 MX$26.74
-23.38%
Eggs
$3.14 A$4.43
$2.50 MX$43.36
25.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.23 A$10.20
$8.61 MX$149
-16.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.13 A$8.64
$8.63 MX$150
-28.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.51 A$16.23
$11.02 MX$191
4.45%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 A$4.35
$2.75 MX$47.62
12.36%
Banana (1kg)
$2.66 A$3.75
$1.43 MX$24.73
86.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.44
$1.87 MX$32.44
68.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.34 A$6.12
$2.17 MX$37.54
100.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 A$2.85
$1.88 MX$32.61
7.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.70 A$2.39
$2.25 MX$38.91
-24.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 A$1.92
$1.07 MX$18.49
27.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 A$1.60
$1.07 MX$18.59
5.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$28.12 A$39.65
$4.15 MX$72.0
577.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.90 A$11.14
$10.34 MX$179
-23.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 A$3.58
$1.68 MX$29.08
51.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 A$3.05
$2.48 MX$43.02
-12.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.01 A$2.83
$0.55 MX$9.61
265.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.4 A$128
$26.53 MX$459
240.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.97 A$2.78
$3.22 MX$55.7
-38.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 A$2.28
$2.48 MX$42.98
-34.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$46.10 A$65.0
$3.11 MX$53.9
1382.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 A$1.75
$1.26 MX$21.75
-1.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.6K A$36.1K
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-16.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.9K A$29.4K
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-13.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 A$289
$82.5 MX$1,429
148.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.47 A$14.76
$22.29 MX$386
-53.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.13 A$59.4
$30.02 MX$520
40.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.71 A$70.1
$51.4 MX$891
-3.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.72 A$22.17
$18.29 MX$317
-14.05%
Cinema Ticket
$9.47 A$13.35
$4.98 MX$86.3
90.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,456 A$2,053
$200 MX$3,464
628.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.0K A$14.2K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
89.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.1 A$106
$35.71 MX$618
110.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.16 A$46.75
$39.56 MX$685
-16.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.2 A$108
$80.6 MX$1,395
-5.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 A$185
$88.3 MX$1,530
48.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,238 A$1,746
$969 MX$16.8K
27.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$995 A$1,404
$482 MX$8,352
106.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,002 A$2,823
$1,595 MX$27.6K
25.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 A$2,907
$1,184 MX$20.5K
74.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,980 A$8,432
$4,050 MX$70.1K
47.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,391 A$7,602
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-17.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,014 A$7,069
$756 MX$13.1K
562.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.35
11.42
-61.91%

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

Last update for Lake Macquarie: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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