Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mackay and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,209 in Mackay, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index
58

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

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Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,209

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,209 per month in Mackay vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mackay $2,209
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,489 per month in Mackay vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mackay $3,489
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,769 per month in Mackay vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mackay $4,769
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Mackay costs about 83% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mackay sits 62% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 A$24.49

$10.92 MX$204

57.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 A$108

$43.37 MX$810

74.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.42 A$17.67

$11.78 MX$220

5.43%

Cappuccino

$4.30 A$6.12

$3.81 MX$71.2

12.86%

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

$3.39 A$4.82

$1.28 MX$23.96

164.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.89

$0.78 MX$14.63

251.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 A$9.91

$3.17 MX$59.2

119.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 A$9.76

$4.93 MX$92.2

39.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 A$2.70

$1.41 MX$26.28

34.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.22 MX$41.43

13.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.02

$1.42 MX$26.48

98.59%

Eggs

$6.02 A$8.56

$2.52 MX$47.14

138.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 A$13.79

$7.26 MX$136

33.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 A$12.13

$7.70 MX$144

10.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 A$23.39

$12.69 MX$237

29.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 A$5.25

$2.78 MX$52.0

32.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.05

$1.37 MX$25.56

108.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.26

$2.55 MX$47.66

17.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.72 A$9.56

$2.12 MX$39.67

216.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.59

$1.94 MX$36.22

30.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.64

$1.89 MX$35.24

35.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.24 A$4.61

$1.15 MX$21.42

181.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.43

$1.18 MX$22.03

163.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.23 A$62.9

$4.30 MX$80.3

928.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.63 A$12.28

$9.95 MX$186

-13.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.24 A$7.46

$1.58 MX$29.59

231.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 A$8.60

$2.67 MX$49.91

126.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.55 MX$10.34

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 A$97.8

$26.62 MX$497

158.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.88 A$8.35

$4.97 MX$92.9

18.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 A$2.93

$3.33 MX$62.2

-38.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.28 A$50.2

$5.36 MX$100

558.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.81

$1.44 MX$26.98

-11.81%

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

$27.1K A$38.6K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

31.26%

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

$35.4K A$50.4K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

51.04%

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

$235 A$334

$84.8 MX$1,584

176.92%

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

$29.32 A$41.69

$23.41 MX$437

25.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.9 A$112

$28.66 MX$535

175.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 A$74.0

$57.1 MX$1,066

-8.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 A$30.06

$28.91 MX$540

-26.88%

Cinema Ticket

$16.46 A$23.40

$5.14 MX$96.0

220.23%

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

$1,860 A$2,644

$207 MX$3,860

800.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,747 A$9,593

$3,927 MX$73.4K

71.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 A$101

$43.35 MX$810

63.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 A$71.1

$41.44 MX$774

20.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$174

$74.2 MX$1,386

65.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$150

$89.3 MX$1,668

17.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 A$1,359

$980 MX$18.3K

-2.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 A$1,179

$381 MX$7,116

117.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 A$2,706

$1,708 MX$31.9K

11.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,779 A$2,529

$1,075 MX$20.1K

65.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,115 A$4,429

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-21.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 A$2,507

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-71.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,517 A$7,844

$735 MX$13.7K

651.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

11.45

-50.83%

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

Last update for Mackay: 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

Mackay

$829 37.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 54.1% $449

Groceries & Markets

Mackay

$400 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 36.4% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mackay

$343 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.1% $206

Eating Out

Mackay

$300 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 32.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Mackay

$157 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 28.9% $45

Getting Around

Mackay

$95 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 46.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Mackay

$85 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 20.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $956 in Mackay 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 Mackay are about 7.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Mackay versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mackay

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

15 h behind Mackay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,455

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mackay Playa del Carmen 14,200 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mackay
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

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

Yes – Mackay is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,314 per month in Mackay 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 $956 in Mackay and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Mackay, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Mackay and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap 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 Mackay at $2,209. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mackay 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 $2,209 in Mackay. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mackay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.