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 34.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 61.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lake Macquarie is 62.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 48.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.77 A$17.75
$11.61 MX$200
9.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.4 A$109
$42.75 MX$738
83.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.52 A$13.23
$10.60 MX$183
-10.19%
Cappuccino
$3.42 A$4.75
$3.59 MX$62.0
-4.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 A$3.18
$1.45 MX$25.08
57.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 A$2.77
$0.90 MX$15.50
121.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 A$8.92
$3.03 MX$52.4
111.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.94 A$9.64
$4.56 MX$78.8
52.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 A$2.00
$1.45 MX$25.07
-0.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 A$2.00
$1.83 MX$31.55
-21.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.23 A$1.71
$1.61 MX$27.77
-23.60%
Eggs
$3.23 A$4.49
$2.54 MX$43.82
27.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 A$10.33
$8.54 MX$148
-13.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.15 A$8.55
$8.47 MX$146
-27.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.94 A$16.60
$10.86 MX$188
9.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 A$4.27
$2.73 MX$47.13
12.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.78 A$3.86
$1.49 MX$25.77
86.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.16 A$4.39
$1.94 MX$33.55
62.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.41 A$6.13
$2.16 MX$37.38
104.17%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 A$2.80
$1.85 MX$31.88
9.19%
Onion (1kg)
$1.66 A$2.31
$2.19 MX$37.80
-24.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 A$1.88
$1.07 MX$18.52
26.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 A$1.64
$1.08 MX$18.71
9.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$28.62 A$39.78
$4.06 MX$70.1
604.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.68 A$10.68
$10.46 MX$181
-26.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 A$3.59
$1.65 MX$28.56
56.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 A$2.95
$2.55 MX$44.01
-16.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.08 A$2.89
$0.56 MX$9.60
271.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.2 A$124
$26.20 MX$453
240.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.88 A$2.61
$3.14 MX$54.2
-40.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 A$2.16
$2.37 MX$40.96
-34.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$46.31 A$64.4
$3.24 MX$56.0
1329.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 A$1.65
$1.31 MX$22.70
-9.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.8K A$34.5K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-18.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.4K A$28.3K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-14.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 A$280
$83.1 MX$1,436
142.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.60 A$14.74
$22.15 MX$383
-52.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.91 A$59.6
$29.37 MX$507
46.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.54 A$67.5
$51.2 MX$884
-5.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.76 A$21.91
$18.69 MX$323
-15.68%
Cinema Ticket
$9.42 A$13.09
$4.89 MX$84.4
92.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,463 A$2,034
$199 MX$3,431
636.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K A$14.0K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
93.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.4 A$102
$35.93 MX$621
104.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.78 A$46.95
$39.39 MX$680
-14.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.2 A$106
$80.3 MX$1,387
-5.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$134 A$186
$87.6 MX$1,512
52.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,280 A$1,779
$963 MX$16.6K
32.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$980 A$1,362
$482 MX$8,326
103.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,994 A$2,772
$1,645 MX$28.4K
21.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,084 A$2,897
$1,192 MX$20.6K
74.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,797 A$9,448
$3,957 MX$68.3K
71.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,145 A$7,151
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-21.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lake Macquarie
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,053 A$7,024
$726 MX$12.5K
595.71%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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