Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ningi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,517 in Ningi, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Ningi
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Ningi Living Index
58

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

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Ningi

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,517

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,517 in Ningi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ningi $2,517
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,730 in Ningi versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ningi $3,730
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,943 in Ningi versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Ningi $4,943
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Ningi is roughly 109% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ningi is 85% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.92 A$29.73

$10.92 MX$205

91.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 A$98.0

$43.37 MX$814

58.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 A$9.70

$11.78 MX$221

-42.11%

Cappuccino

$2.61 A$3.71

$3.81 MX$71.5

-31.50%

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

$2.28 A$3.24

$1.28 MX$24.07

78.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.37

$0.78 MX$14.70

203.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 A$11.06

$3.17 MX$59.5

145.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 A$11.13

$4.93 MX$92.7

58.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.41 MX$26.40

10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.22 MX$41.62

19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.42

$1.42 MX$26.61

69.72%

Eggs

$4.83 A$6.86

$2.52 MX$47.36

91.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 A$12.80

$7.26 MX$136

24.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 A$13.26

$7.70 MX$144

21.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 A$21.09

$12.69 MX$238

16.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.57

$2.78 MX$52.3

41.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.39

$1.37 MX$25.68

125.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 A$4.99

$2.55 MX$47.89

37.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$2.12 MX$39.86

95.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.63

$1.94 MX$36.39

31.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.56

$1.89 MX$35.41

32.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 A$3.66

$1.15 MX$21.53

123.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 A$2.26

$1.18 MX$22.13

34.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.56 A$64.8

$4.30 MX$80.6

959.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.38 A$20.43

$9.95 MX$187

44.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.70 A$8.11

$1.58 MX$29.73

260.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 A$9.84

$2.67 MX$50.1

159.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 A$4.41

$0.55 MX$10.39

463.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.9 A$112

$26.62 MX$500

196.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 A$3.15

$4.97 MX$93.3

-55.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.33

$3.33 MX$62.5

-50.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.53 A$51.9

$5.36 MX$101

581.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.85

$1.44 MX$27.11

-9.72%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

40.66%

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

$26.2K A$37.3K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

11.83%

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

$223 A$317

$84.8 MX$1,592

162.84%

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

$30.06 A$42.73

$23.41 MX$439

28.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 A$75.8

$28.66 MX$538

86.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 A$74.3

$57.1 MX$1,071

-8.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 A$26.14

$28.91 MX$543

-36.39%

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 A$18.95

$5.14 MX$96.5

159.34%

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

$2,128 A$3,025

$207 MX$3,878

930.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K A$16.6K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

197.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 A$110

$43.35 MX$814

79.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$77.1

$41.44 MX$778

30.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$148

$74.2 MX$1,393

40.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$173

$89.3 MX$1,676

36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 A$2,245

$980 MX$18.4K

61.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,708

$381 MX$7,150

215.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 A$3,185

$1,708 MX$32.1K

31.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,079 A$2,955

$1,075 MX$20.2K

93.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,618 A$9,407

$3,943 MX$74.0K

67.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,779 A$6,793

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-22.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

11.45

-50.31%

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

Last update for Ningi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ningi

$1.2K 47.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 68.3% $821

Groceries & Markets

Ningi

$375 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 32.1% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ningi

$306 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.3% $169

Eating Out

Ningi

$292 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 30.8% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Ningi

$161 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 30.6% $49

Getting Around

Ningi

$102 4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 50.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Ningi

$79 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 14.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,580 in Ningi and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Ningi vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ningi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

02:19 2:19 AM

15 h behind Ningi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Ningi Playa del Carmen 13,910 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ningi
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,517 in Ningi and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,775 in Ningi and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,580 in Ningi versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $69 in Ningi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,517 per month in Ningi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,517 in Ningi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ningi. 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 Ningi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.