Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margaret River and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,566 in Margaret River, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Margaret River
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Margaret River Living Index
59

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

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Margaret River

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,566

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,566 per month in Margaret River vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Margaret River $2,566
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,723 per month in Margaret River vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Margaret River $3,723
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,880 per month in Margaret River vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Margaret River $4,880
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Margaret River costs about 112% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Margaret River sits 90% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 A$28.39

$10.76 MX$197

84.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.0 A$117

$43.03 MX$787

90.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 A$15.13

$11.79 MX$216

-10.43%

Cappuccino

$4.42 A$6.33

$3.87 MX$70.7

14.21%

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

$2.92 A$4.18

$1.37 MX$25.03

113.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.13

$0.84 MX$15.29

159.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.90

$3.10 MX$56.7

168.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.52 A$12.21

$5.07 MX$92.7

68.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 A$2.46

$1.44 MX$26.28

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 A$4.53

$2.23 MX$40.81

41.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.84

$1.47 MX$26.89

34.69%

Eggs

$5.26 A$7.54

$2.53 MX$46.24

107.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.94

$7.30 MX$134

23.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 A$12.90

$7.86 MX$144

14.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 A$19.62

$12.79 MX$234

7.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 A$6.37

$2.90 MX$53.1

53.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.44 MX$26.26

115.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.90

$2.55 MX$46.59

34.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.20

$2.06 MX$37.64

144.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.13

$2.00 MX$36.60

44.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 A$2.75

$2.01 MX$36.69

-4.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.32

$1.19 MX$21.79

94.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.26 MX$22.99

7.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.56 A$61.0

$4.40 MX$80.6

867.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 A$18.05

$9.59 MX$175

31.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 A$6.05

$1.59 MX$29.12

165.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 A$4.91

$2.81 MX$51.4

22.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 A$4.23

$0.57 MX$10.36

417.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.2 A$118

$27.82 MX$509

195.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 A$5.13

$4.98 MX$91.2

-28.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$3.50 MX$64.0

-58.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.63 A$58.2

$5.40 MX$98.8

652.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.47 MX$26.80

-8.16%

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

$27.7K A$39.7K

$21.0K MX$383.9K

31.92%

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

$29.1K A$41.6K

$23.9K MX$437.3K

21.62%

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

$197 A$282

$84.2 MX$1,540

133.70%

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

$32.94 A$47.18

$23.99 MX$439

37.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$92.0

$29.02 MX$531

121.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 A$80.2

$63.0 MX$1,152

-11.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.38 A$24.89

$29.14 MX$533

-40.36%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 A$24.60

$4.94 MX$90.4

247.57%

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

$2,306 A$3,304

$204 MX$3,725

1032.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.8K

$3,941 MX$72.1K

480.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$111

$43.60 MX$798

77.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 A$93.6

$43.12 MX$789

51.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$176

$75.8 MX$1,386

62.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 A$234

$88.6 MX$1,620

84.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 A$1,986

$1,008 MX$18.4K

37.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 A$1,718

$374 MX$6,841

220.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 A$3,108

$1,708 MX$31.3K

27.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 A$2,614

$1,106 MX$20.2K

64.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,036 A$7,214

$3,944 MX$72.2K

27.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,814 A$6,896

$6,169 MX$112.8K

-21.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,954 A$4,232

$754 MX$13.8K

291.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

11.45

-48.38%

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

Last update for Margaret River: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Margaret River

$1.2K 46.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 68.8% $825

Groceries & Markets

Margaret River

$362 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 28.6% $103

Eating Out

Margaret River

$322 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 37.2% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margaret River

$294 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 53.3% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Margaret River

$193 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 41.5% $80

Getting Around

Margaret River

$105 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 49.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Margaret River

$90 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 19.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,387 in Margaret River versus $1,008 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 run about 292% higher in Margaret River, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Margaret River versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Margaret River

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

17:22 5:22 PM

13 h behind Margaret River

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 MXN = 5.47 USD

100 MXN = 4.89 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.29 MXN (100 MXN = 5.47 USD). 1 EUR = 20.47 MXN (100 MXN = 4.89 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Margaret River Playa del Carmen 17,380 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Margaret River
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

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

Yes – Margaret River is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,849 per month in Margaret River and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Margaret River and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,566 in Margaret River and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 112%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Margaret River at $2,566. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Margaret River 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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