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.

🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,026
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
😐 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.
Currency
🍽 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.
Accommodation & Living
New Zealand
$921
Playa del Carmen
$385 58.2% $536
Groceries & Markets
New Zealand
$312
Playa del Carmen
$260 16.6% $52
Eating Out
New Zealand
$242
Playa del Carmen
$204 15.7% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Zealand
$235
Playa del Carmen
$137 41.6% $98
Clothing & Footwear
New Zealand
$141
Playa del Carmen
$114 18.8% $26
Getting Around
New Zealand
$120
Playa del Carmen
$52 56.5% $68
Sport & Entertainment
New Zealand
$58
Playa del Carmen
$75 30.3% $17
Good to know
🇳🇿 New Zealand
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
19:54 7:54 PM
01:54 1:54 AM
18 h behind New Zealand
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,118,700
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

On the map
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

New Zealand vs other spots: cost of living compared

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