Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Levin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,005 in Levin, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Levin
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Levin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Levin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,005

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,005 per month in Levin vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Levin $2,005
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,929 per month in Levin vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Levin $2,929
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,853 per month in Levin vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Levin $3,853
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Levin costs about 66% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Levin sits 47% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.87 NZ$24.63

$10.92 MX$205

27.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 NZ$117

$43.37 MX$814

52.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 NZ$16.52

$11.78 MX$221

-20.97%

Cappuccino

$2.79 NZ$4.96

$3.81 MX$71.5

-26.77%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.33

$1.28 MX$24.07

90.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 NZ$3.02

$0.78 MX$14.70

117.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.50 NZ$13.32

$3.17 MX$59.5

136.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 NZ$11.78

$4.93 MX$92.7

34.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 NZ$3.37

$1.41 MX$26.40

34.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 NZ$1.61

$2.22 MX$41.62

-59.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 NZ$3.04

$1.42 MX$26.61

20.42%

Eggs

$7.03 NZ$12.48

$2.52 MX$47.36

178.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 NZ$11.84

$7.26 MX$136

-8.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.18 NZ$12.75

$7.70 MX$144

-6.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.48 NZ$16.84

$12.69 MX$238

-25.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$2.78 MX$52.3

-37.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 NZ$3.86

$1.37 MX$25.68

58.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.48

$2.55 MX$47.89

21.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 NZ$3.20

$2.12 MX$39.86

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 NZ$3.46

$1.94 MX$36.39

0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 NZ$2.21

$1.89 MX$35.41

-34.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$1.15 MX$21.53

58.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.05

$1.18 MX$22.13

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.26 NZ$32.42

$4.30 MX$80.6

324.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 NZ$19.98

$9.95 MX$187

13.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.62

$1.58 MX$29.73

100.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 NZ$5.17

$2.67 MX$50.1

8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 NZ$3.50

$0.55 MX$10.39

258.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 NZ$211

$26.62 MX$500

345.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$4.97 MX$93.3

-62.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$3.33 MX$62.5

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 NZ$60.7

$5.36 MX$101

537.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 NZ$2.85

$1.44 MX$27.11

11.81%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

37.63%

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

$24.0K NZ$42.6K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

2.22%

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

$200 NZ$354

$84.8 MX$1,592

135.35%

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

$21.91 NZ$38.89

$23.41 MX$439

-6.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 NZ$95.7

$28.66 MX$538

88.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 NZ$69.4

$57.1 MX$1,071

-31.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$10.37 NZ$18.41

$5.14 MX$96.5

101.75%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,875

$207 MX$3,878

411.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K NZ$23.2K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

232.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.4 NZ$141

$43.35 MX$814

83.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.63 NZ$40.17

$41.44 MX$778

-45.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.8 NZ$91.9

$74.2 MX$1,393

-30.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 NZ$201

$89.3 MX$1,676

27.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 NZ$1,817

$980 MX$18.4K

4.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 NZ$1,624

$381 MX$7,150

140.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 NZ$2,097

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-30.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 NZ$2,645

$1,075 MX$20.2K

38.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,200 NZ$7,457

$3,943 MX$74.0K

6.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 NZ$5,640

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-48.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.45

-52.93%

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

Last update for Levin: October 24, 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

Levin

$914 45.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 58.4% $534

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Levin

$275 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.3% $138

Groceries & Markets

Levin

$257 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1% $2.6

Eating Out

Levin

$240 12%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 15.6% $37

Getting Around

Levin

$138 6.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 63.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Levin

$120 6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.1% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Levin

$60 3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12.5% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,024 in Levin 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Levin versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Levin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

13:22 1:22 PM

18 h behind Levin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,800

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

Levin Playa del Carmen 12,110 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Levin
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,005 in Levin, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,007 per month in Levin 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 $1,024 in Levin and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Levin and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 78% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Levin at $2,005. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Levin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.