Cost of Living Comparison Between North Shore and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between North Shore and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: North Shore is 11.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 46.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: North Shore is 44.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 24.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
North Shore
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.13 NZ$24.95
$11.99 MX$227
26.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.1 NZ$129
$42.47 MX$803
83.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.41 NZ$13.87
$10.47 MX$198
-19.68%
Cappuccino
$3.37 NZ$5.55
$3.6 MX$68.2
-6.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 NZ$3.53
$1.44 MX$27.16
48.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 NZ$3.01
$0.89 MX$16.79
104.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.08 NZ$11.68
$3.09 MX$58.5
129.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.37 NZ$12.16
$4.58 MX$86.6
60.92%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
North Shore
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 NZ$2.92
$1.38 MX$26.04
28.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 NZ$2.57
$1.85 MX$34.9
-15.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.23
$1.57 MX$29.68
24.84%
Eggs
$6.07 NZ$10.01
$2.55 MX$48.3
138.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.29 NZ$13.67
$8.61 MX$163
-3.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 NZ$15.39
$8.54 MX$161
9.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.94 NZ$14.74
$10.98 MX$208
-18.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.64 NZ$4.36
$2.72 MX$51.4
-2.94%
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 NZ$3.61
$1.51 MX$28.57
45.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.31 NZ$5.45
$1.88 MX$35.63
76.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.13 NZ$6.81
$2.19 MX$41.42
88.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 NZ$3.26
$1.87 MX$35.3
5.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.7 NZ$2.8
$2.19 MX$41.37
-22.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.91 NZ$3.16
$1.07 MX$20.23
78.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 NZ$1.1
$1.09 MX$20.64
-39.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.61 NZ$40.59
$3.96 MX$74.9
521.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.7 NZ$19.3
$8.86 MX$167
32.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 NZ$3.19
$1.72 MX$32.53
12.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 NZ$2.07
$2.61 MX$49.37
-52.11%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
North Shore
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 NZ$3.94
$0.52 MX$9.74
359.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.6 NZ$107
$26.59 MX$503
143.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.1 NZ$3.46
$3.24 MX$61.2
-35.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2 NZ$3.3
$2.38 MX$44.94
-15.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.09 NZ$57.9
$3.11 MX$58.7
1028.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.68 NZ$2.77
$1.31 MX$24.85
28.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K NZ$46.1K
$30.3K MX$573K
-7.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K NZ$36.9K
$24K MX$453.6K
-6.67%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Shore
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$146 NZ$240
$84.2 MX$1,592
72.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.08 NZ$24.87
$22.14 MX$419
-31.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.47 NZ$73.4
$30.14 MX$570
47.54%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
North Shore
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.23 NZ$48.2
$52 MX$983
-43.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.25 NZ$20.21
$18.72 MX$354
-34.56%
Cinema Ticket
$10.65 NZ$17.57
$5.07 MX$95.9
110.06%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
North Shore
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$899 NZ$1,483
$200 MX$3,787
348.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.4K NZ$22.1K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
150.73%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
North Shore
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.2 NZ$116
$35.74 MX$676
96.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.56 NZ$81.8
$39.8 MX$753
24.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.2 NZ$157
$79 MX$1,493
20.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.8 NZ$148
$88.4 MX$1,671
1.61%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
North Shore
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,064 NZ$1,755
$965 MX$18.3K
10.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$790 NZ$1,303
$474 MX$8,968
66.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,916 NZ$4,810
$1,653 MX$31.2K
76.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,369 NZ$2,259
$1,202 MX$22.7K
13.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,273 NZ$7,048
$3,081 MX$58.3K
38.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,341 NZ$5,511
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-55.62%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
North Shore
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,922 NZ$4,820
$792 MX$15K
269.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.37
11.42
-44.22%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for North Shore: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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