Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,039 in Launceston, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Launceston
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Launceston Living Index
58

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

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Launceston

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,039

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,039 in Launceston versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Launceston $2,039
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,913 in Launceston versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Launceston $2,913
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,786 in Launceston versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Launceston $3,786
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Launceston is roughly 69% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Launceston is 50% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.58

$10.92 MX$203

58.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 A$105

$43.37 MX$808

71.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 A$11.66

$11.78 MX$219

-30.14%

Cappuccino

$3.37 A$4.78

$3.81 MX$71.0

-11.55%

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

$1.38 A$1.96

$1.28 MX$23.89

7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.21

$0.78 MX$14.58

191.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 A$9.17

$3.17 MX$59.0

104.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 A$10.11

$4.93 MX$91.9

44.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 A$2.67

$1.41 MX$26.20

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 A$3.60

$2.22 MX$41.30

14.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 A$1.74

$1.42 MX$26.40

-13.38%

Eggs

$3.70 A$5.25

$2.52 MX$47.00

46.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 A$14.19

$7.26 MX$135

38.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 A$11.80

$7.70 MX$143

8.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 A$14.60

$12.69 MX$236

-18.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.05

$2.78 MX$51.9

2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.06

$1.37 MX$25.49

109.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.88

$2.55 MX$47.52

7.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 A$6.72

$2.12 MX$39.55

123.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.89

$1.94 MX$36.11

5.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.89 MX$35.13

-26.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 A$3.62

$1.15 MX$21.36

122.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 A$0.76

$1.18 MX$21.96

-54.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$36.28 A$51.4

$4.30 MX$80.0

743.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 A$20.50

$9.95 MX$185

45.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.10 A$7.22

$1.58 MX$29.50

222.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 A$7.69

$2.67 MX$49.76

103.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.52 A$4.99

$0.55 MX$10.31

540.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.7 A$78.9

$26.62 MX$496

109.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 A$6.35

$4.97 MX$92.6

-9.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 A$2.93

$3.33 MX$62.1

-37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.53 A$58.8

$5.36 MX$99.8

674.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.81

$1.44 MX$26.90

-11.11%

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

$28.1K A$39.8K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

35.89%

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

$33.4K A$47.3K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

42.38%

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

$226 A$320

$84.8 MX$1,580

166.65%

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

$29.09 A$41.21

$23.41 MX$436

24.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 A$76.3

$28.66 MX$534

87.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.45 A$70.1

$57.1 MX$1,063

-13.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 A$24.02

$5.14 MX$95.7

229.96%

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

$1,996 A$2,828

$207 MX$3,848

866.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K A$29.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

434.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 A$109

$43.35 MX$808

77.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$76.2

$41.44 MX$772

29.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$148

$74.2 MX$1,382

40.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$177

$89.3 MX$1,663

39.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 A$1,638

$980 MX$18.2K

18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 A$1,149

$381 MX$7,095

113.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 A$2,289

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-5.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 A$1,575

$1,075 MX$20.0K

3.42%

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)

$6,644 A$9,413

$735 MX$13.7K

804.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-47.60%

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

Last update for Launceston: 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

Launceston

$811 39.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 53.1% $431

Groceries & Markets

Launceston

$324 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 21.3% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Launceston

$309 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.7% $172

Eating Out

Launceston

$265 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 23.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Launceston

$162 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31% $50

Getting Around

Launceston

$85 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 40.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Launceston

$83 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 19.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,156 in Launceston and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Launceston pays about 9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Launceston vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Launceston

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

16 h behind Launceston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,943

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Launceston Playa del Carmen 14,460 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Launceston
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Launceston. 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 Launceston is about 9 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: $1,156 in Launceston versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $74 in Launceston. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,039 per month in Launceston versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,039 in Launceston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Launceston. 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 41% less than in Launceston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.