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

😐 Solo nomad: Nelson is 54.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 58.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Nelson is 51.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.81 NZ$35.58
$11.85 MX$212
75.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.9 NZ$142
$42.16 MX$755
96.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.72 NZ$16.63
$10.75 MX$192
-9.58%
Cappuccino
$3.21 NZ$5.48
$3.47 MX$62.2
-7.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 NZ$4.37
$1.45 MX$26.01
76.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 NZ$4.70
$0.90 MX$16.16
205.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.08 NZ$12.10
$3.05 MX$54.7
132.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.95 NZ$10.17
$4.42 MX$79.1
34.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.43 NZ$4.16
$1.37 MX$24.51
77.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 NZ$3.82
$1.87 MX$33.51
19.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.33 NZ$3.98
$1.54 MX$27.63
51.30%
Eggs
$6.30 NZ$10.78
$2.50 MX$44.81
152.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.88 NZ$16.90
$8.61 MX$154
14.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.81 NZ$13.35
$8.63 MX$155
-9.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.11 NZ$27.55
$11.02 MX$197
46.19%
Apples (1kg)
$3.54 NZ$6.06
$2.75 MX$49.22
28.73%
Banana (1kg)
$2.62 NZ$4.48
$1.43 MX$25.56
83.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.10 NZ$5.30
$1.87 MX$33.52
65.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.66 NZ$11.39
$2.17 MX$38.80
206.91%
Potato (1kg)
$3.70 NZ$6.33
$1.88 MX$33.70
96.81%
Onion (1kg)
$2.46 NZ$4.20
$2.25 MX$40.21
9.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.63 NZ$4.50
$1.07 MX$19.11
145.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NZ$2.18
$1.07 MX$19.22
19.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.46 NZ$52.1
$4.15 MX$74.4
633.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.20 NZ$17.44
$10.34 MX$185
-1.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.20 NZ$5.48
$1.68 MX$30.06
90.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 NZ$7.54
$2.48 MX$44.46
77.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.46 NZ$4.21
$0.55 MX$9.93
347.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$62.9 NZ$108
$26.53 MX$475
137.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.34 NZ$7.43
$3.22 MX$57.6
34.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 NZ$3.04
$2.48 MX$44.42
-28.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.68 NZ$61.0
$3.11 MX$55.7
1047.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.64 NZ$2.80
$1.26 MX$22.48
30.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.6K NZ$31.9K
$30.7K MX$548.8K
-39.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K NZ$38.9K
$24.0K MX$430.3K
-5.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$221 NZ$378
$82.5 MX$1,476
167.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.55 NZ$60.8
$22.29 MX$399
59.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.58 NZ$84.8
$30.02 MX$537
65.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.38 NZ$84.5
$51.4 MX$921
-4.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.47 NZ$36.71
$18.29 MX$327
17.39%
Cinema Ticket
$9.92 NZ$16.96
$4.98 MX$89.2
99.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$477 NZ$816
$200 MX$3,580
138.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K NZ$20.9K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
130.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.3 NZ$105
$35.71 MX$639
71.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$65.0 NZ$111
$39.56 MX$708
64.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$130 NZ$222
$80.6 MX$1,442
61.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 NZ$189
$88.3 MX$1,581
25.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 NZ$1,675
$969 MX$17.4K
1.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$728 NZ$1,246
$482 MX$8,632
51.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,417 NZ$2,424
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-11.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,218 NZ$2,082
$1,184 MX$21.2K
2.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,898 NZ$6,665
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-3.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,140 NZ$5,369
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-51.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nelson
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,709 NZ$4,632
$756 MX$13.5K
258.14%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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