Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mount Isa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,519 in Mount Isa, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Mount Isa
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Mount Isa Living Index
57

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

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Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,519

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,519 in Mount Isa versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Mount Isa $2,519
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,619 in Mount Isa versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Mount Isa $3,619
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,719 in Mount Isa versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Mount Isa $4,719
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Mount Isa is roughly 110% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mount Isa is 86% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 A$25.25

$10.67 MX$200

62.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 A$122

$43.80 MX$819

92.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 A$15.49

$11.79 MX$220

-9.67%

Cappuccino

$3.91 A$5.69

$3.79 MX$70.8

3.17%

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

$2.80 A$4.07

$1.30 MX$24.26

115.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.28

$0.83 MX$15.59

171.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 A$11.38

$3.15 MX$58.9

148.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.71 A$11.21

$4.93 MX$92.3

56.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.21

$1.41 MX$26.35

7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.86

$2.20 MX$41.07

20.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.22

$1.47 MX$27.54

50.34%

Eggs

$4.82 A$7.01

$2.50 MX$46.70

92.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.35

$7.29 MX$136

25.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 A$13.23

$7.95 MX$149

14.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.78

$12.86 MX$241

16.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.60

$2.90 MX$54.2

32.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.49

$1.38 MX$25.87

123.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.71

$2.49 MX$46.59

30.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 A$6.83

$2.03 MX$37.97

131.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.96

$2.02 MX$37.88

34.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.46

$1.90 MX$35.60

25.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.49

$1.14 MX$21.41

110.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.25

$1.24 MX$23.17

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.83 A$62.3

$4.27 MX$79.9

903.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 A$20.72

$9.81 MX$184

45.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.76 A$6.92

$1.59 MX$29.66

199.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 A$7.70

$2.75 MX$51.3

92.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 A$3.93

$0.51 MX$9.63

429.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 A$122

$27.39 MX$512

206.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.22

$4.76 MX$89.1

-24.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.40

$3.25 MX$60.8

-49.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.77 A$59.3

$5.39 MX$101

656.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.92

$1.53 MX$28.58

-13.73%

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

$29.7K A$43.2K

$21.2K MX$396.8K

40.15%

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

$25.9K A$37.7K

$23.3K MX$435.1K

11.35%

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

$205 A$298

$83.5 MX$1,562

145.54%

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

$27.82 A$40.47

$23.19 MX$434

19.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$83.0

$27.61 MX$516

106.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 A$80.8

$56.4 MX$1,056

-1.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 A$26.22

$28.19 MX$527

-36.04%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 A$20.31

$5.00 MX$93.5

179.20%

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

$2,165 A$3,149

$207 MX$3,873

945.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K A$29.3K

$5,231 MX$97.8K

285.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 A$113

$43.45 MX$813

78.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 A$79.7

$42.54 MX$796

28.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$159

$72.8 MX$1,361

50.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$179

$88.4 MX$1,653

39.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 A$2,060

$995 MX$18.6K

42.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 A$1,769

$382 MX$7,152

218.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,259 A$3,285

$1,674 MX$31.3K

34.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 A$2,615

$1,081 MX$20.2K

66.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,881 A$8,553

$3,909 MX$73.1K

50.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,029 A$7,315

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-18.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,453 A$6,477

$832 MX$15.6K

435.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.45

-48.47%

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

Last update for Mount Isa: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mount Isa

$1.2K 48.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.6% $834

Groceries & Markets

Mount Isa

$366 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 29.6% $108

Eating Out

Mount Isa

$293 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 31.6% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mount Isa

$290 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 53.7% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Mount Isa

$164 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 32.3% $53

Getting Around

Mount Isa

$107 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mount Isa

$83 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 20.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,416 in Mount Isa and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Isa pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Mount Isa vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mount Isa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

07:26 7:26 AM

15 h behind Mount Isa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,936

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.688 USD

1 AUD = 0.612 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.45 AUD (1 AUD = 0.688 USD). 1 EUR = 1.63 AUD (1 AUD = 0.612 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mount Isa Playa del Carmen 15,190 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mount Isa
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Mount Isa. 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 Mount Isa is about 5.4 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: $1,416 in Mount Isa versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,165 in Mount Isa versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Mount Isa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,519 in Mount Isa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mount Isa. 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 52% less than in Mount Isa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.