Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and Playa del Carmen
For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,026 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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New Zealand Living Index99Cost of Living Index in New ZealandLearn more -
Playa del Carmen Living Index60Cost of Living Index in Playa del CarmenLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: New Zealand is 10.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 66.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: New Zealand is 25.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 29.6% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
New Zealand
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.03 NZ$25.00
$10.97 MX$201
27.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.1 NZ$120
$44.85 MX$823
49.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.11 NZ$16.23
$11.92 MX$219
-23.57%
Cappuccino
$3.26 NZ$5.82
$3.80 MX$69.9
-14.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 NZ$3.88
$1.31 MX$24.08
66.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 NZ$3.34
$0.86 MX$15.72
117.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.69 NZ$11.93
$3.21 MX$59.0
108.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.77 NZ$12.06
$5.01 MX$92.0
35.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New Zealand
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 NZ$3.09
$1.46 MX$26.77
18.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 NZ$3.31
$2.33 MX$42.72
-20.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 NZ$3.16
$1.44 MX$26.48
23.61%
Eggs
$5.96 NZ$10.63
$2.46 MX$45.20
142.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.07 NZ$14.38
$7.70 MX$141
4.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.39 NZ$16.74
$7.89 MX$145
19.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 NZ$24.88
$12.80 MX$235
9.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 NZ$4.87
$2.92 MX$53.6
-6.51%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 NZ$3.73
$1.42 MX$26.11
47.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 NZ$5.24
$2.57 MX$47.10
14.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.98 NZ$8.87
$2.14 MX$39.24
132.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 NZ$3.60
$1.95 MX$35.75
3.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 NZ$2.64
$1.94 MX$35.55
-23.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.05 NZ$3.64
$1.15 MX$21.13
78.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 NZ$1.88
$1.22 MX$22.42
-13.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.61 NZ$42.06
$4.38 MX$80.3
439.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.93 NZ$15.92
$9.85 MX$181
-9.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.01 NZ$5.37
$1.54 MX$28.23
95.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 NZ$5.62
$2.72 MX$49.86
15.81%
🚌 Getting Around
New Zealand
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.85 NZ$3.30
$0.52 MX$9.64
255.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$100 NZ$179
$27.42 MX$503
266.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.26 NZ$4.02
$4.91 MX$90.2
-53.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 NZ$3.38
$3.52 MX$64.7
-46.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.21 NZ$57.4
$5.69 MX$104
466.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.68 NZ$3.00
$1.54 MX$28.27
9.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.9K NZ$44.3K
$21.2K MX$389.9K
17.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K NZ$42.2K
$24.5K MX$449.6K
-3.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Zealand
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 NZ$277
$83.6 MX$1,535
85.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.36 NZ$55.9
$24.03 MX$441
30.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.95 NZ$85.5
$29.33 MX$539
63.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New Zealand
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.82 NZ$62.1
$64.9 MX$1,191
-46.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.77 NZ$26.33
$29.46 MX$541
-49.86%
Cinema Ticket
$11.38 NZ$20.27
$5.09 MX$93.4
123.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New Zealand
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$879 NZ$1,566
$208 MX$3,813
323.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.4K NZ$29.3K
$4,045 MX$74.3K
306.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New Zealand
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.7 NZ$122
$44.55 MX$818
54.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.27 NZ$62.8
$42.06 MX$772
-16.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 NZ$163
$75.5 MX$1,387
21.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 NZ$208
$91.4 MX$1,678
27.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New Zealand
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,076 NZ$1,918
$986 MX$18.1K
9.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$921 NZ$1,641
$385 MX$7,072
139.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,724 NZ$3,072
$1,713 MX$31.5K
0.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,477 NZ$2,631
$1,108 MX$20.4K
33.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,621 NZ$10.0K
$4,016 MX$73.7K
39.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,602 NZ$6,418
$6,247 MX$114.7K
-42.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New Zealand
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,752 NZ$4,903
$758 MX$13.9K
262.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.27
11.45
-45.24%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for New Zealand: October 5, 2026
Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New Zealand $921 45.4%
Playa del Carmen $385 31.4% 58.2% $536
Groceries & Markets
New Zealand $312 15.4%
Playa del Carmen $260 21.2% 16.6% $52
Eating Out
New Zealand $242 11.9%
Playa del Carmen $204 16.6% 15.7% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Zealand $235 11.6%
Playa del Carmen $137 11.2% 41.6% $98
Clothing & Footwear
New Zealand $141 6.9%
Playa del Carmen $114 9.3% 18.8% $26
Getting Around
New Zealand $120 5.9%
Playa del Carmen $52 4.2% 56.5% $68
Sport & Entertainment
New Zealand $58 2.8%
Playa del Carmen $75 6.1% 30.3% $17
Accommodation & Living
New Zealand $1.5K 37.2%
Playa del Carmen $1.1K 36.5% 24.9% $368
Groceries & Markets
New Zealand $727 18.3%
Playa del Carmen $602 19.8% 17.2% $125
Eating Out
New Zealand $817 20.6%
Playa del Carmen $631 20.8% 22.7% $185
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Zealand $266 6.7%
Playa del Carmen $161 5.3% 39.5% $105
Clothing & Footwear
New Zealand $312 7.9%
Playa del Carmen $254 8.3% 18.8% $59
Getting Around
New Zealand $243 6.1%
Playa del Carmen $105 3.5% 56.7% $138
Sport & Entertainment
New Zealand $130 3.3%
Playa del Carmen $180 5.9% 38.2% $50
Good to know
🇳🇿 New Zealand
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
Weather
Population
5,118,700
149,923
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- New Zealand Playa del Carmen 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
- New Zealand
- 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
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