Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Nelson is 16.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 63.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Nelson is 54.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.86 NZ$34.41
$11.99 MX$227
73.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.7 NZ$141
$42.47 MX$803
101.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.4 NZ$15.5
$10.47 MX$198
-10.22%
Cappuccino
$3.17 NZ$5.22
$3.6 MX$68.2
-11.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 NZ$4.39
$1.44 MX$27.16
84.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 NZ$4.56
$0.89 MX$16.79
210.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.34 NZ$12.1
$3.09 MX$58.5
137.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.95 NZ$9.82
$4.58 MX$86.6
29.91%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.34 NZ$3.86
$1.38 MX$26.04
69.57%
White Bread (500g)
$2.32 NZ$3.82
$1.85 MX$34.9
25.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 NZ$3.71
$1.57 MX$29.68
43.31%
Eggs
$6.11 NZ$10.07
$2.55 MX$48.3
139.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.87 NZ$16.28
$8.61 MX$163
14.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.07 NZ$13.31
$8.54 MX$161
-5.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.25 NZ$26.8
$10.98 MX$208
48.00%
Apples (1kg)
$3.6 NZ$5.94
$2.72 MX$51.4
32.35%
Banana (1kg)
$2.61 NZ$4.31
$1.51 MX$28.57
72.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.97 NZ$4.9
$1.88 MX$35.63
57.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.46 NZ$10.66
$2.19 MX$41.42
194.98%
Potato (1kg)
$3.73 NZ$6.15
$1.87 MX$35.3
99.47%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 NZ$4.25
$2.19 MX$41.37
17.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.5 NZ$4.13
$1.07 MX$20.23
133.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 NZ$2.12
$1.09 MX$20.64
18.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.66 NZ$48.91
$3.96 MX$74.9
648.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.11 NZ$16.67
$8.86 MX$167
14.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.2 NZ$5.28
$1.72 MX$32.53
86.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 NZ$7.24
$2.61 MX$49.37
68.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.38 NZ$3.92
$0.52 MX$9.74
357.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.3 NZ$104
$26.59 MX$503
137.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.25 NZ$7.01
$3.24 MX$61.2
31.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 NZ$2.98
$2.38 MX$44.94
-23.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.25 NZ$58.1
$3.11 MX$58.7
1033.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 NZ$2.83
$1.31 MX$24.85
31.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.6K NZ$30.7K
$30.3K MX$573K
-38.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22K NZ$36.2K
$24K MX$453.6K
-8.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$222 NZ$367
$84.2 MX$1,592
163.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.1 NZ$59.5
$22.14 MX$419
63.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.67 NZ$81.9
$30.14 MX$570
64.80%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.98 NZ$80.8
$52 MX$983
-5.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.68 NZ$34.11
$18.72 MX$354
10.47%
Cinema Ticket
$10.13 NZ$16.7
$5.07 MX$95.9
99.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$473 NZ$780
$200 MX$3,787
136.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K NZ$20K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
127.80%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.5 NZ$98.2
$35.74 MX$676
66.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.8 NZ$110
$39.8 MX$753
67.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$133 NZ$220
$79 MX$1,493
68.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 NZ$185
$88.4 MX$1,671
26.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$967 NZ$1,594
$965 MX$18.3K
0.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$749 NZ$1,235
$474 MX$8,968
57.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 NZ$2,384
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-12.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,209 NZ$1,994
$1,202 MX$22.7K
0.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,910 NZ$4,799
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-5.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,354 NZ$3,883
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-68.73%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,850 NZ$4,701
$792 MX$15K
260.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.82
11.42
-40.28%

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

Last update for Nelson: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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