Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Orange, NSW and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,758 in Orange, NSW, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Orange, NSW
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Orange, NSW Living Index
58

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

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Orange, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,758

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,758 in Orange, NSW versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Orange, NSW $1,758
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,957 in Orange, NSW versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Orange, NSW $2,957
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,156 in Orange, NSW versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Orange, NSW $4,156
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Orange, NSW is roughly 46% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Orange, NSW is 29% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.12 A$20.08

$10.92 MX$205

29.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 A$111

$43.37 MX$815

79.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 A$14.93

$11.78 MX$221

-10.95%

Cappuccino

$3.41 A$4.85

$3.81 MX$71.6

-10.50%

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

$3.11 A$4.42

$1.28 MX$24.10

142.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.21

$0.78 MX$14.71

189.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 A$10.23

$3.17 MX$59.5

126.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 A$9.77

$4.93 MX$92.7

39.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 A$1.63

$1.41 MX$26.43

-19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 A$4.06

$2.22 MX$41.66

28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.91

$1.42 MX$26.64

44.37%

Eggs

$3.82 A$5.43

$2.52 MX$47.41

51.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 A$11.83

$7.26 MX$137

14.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.62 A$12.26

$7.70 MX$145

11.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 A$20.16

$12.69 MX$239

11.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.32

$2.78 MX$52.3

8.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 A$3.48

$1.37 MX$25.71

78.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.75

$2.55 MX$47.94

30.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.38

$2.12 MX$39.90

78.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 A$2.56

$1.94 MX$36.43

-7.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.51

$1.89 MX$35.44

30.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 A$2.81

$1.15 MX$21.55

72.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 A$2.51

$1.18 MX$22.16

49.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.92 A$49.66

$4.30 MX$80.7

712.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.42 A$16.24

$9.95 MX$187

14.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 A$3.88

$1.58 MX$29.76

72.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 A$6.97

$2.67 MX$50.2

83.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 A$3.97

$0.55 MX$10.40

407.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.2 A$118

$26.62 MX$500

212.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 A$3.49

$4.97 MX$93.4

-50.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.26

$3.33 MX$62.6

-52.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.72 A$50.8

$5.36 MX$101

566.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.44 MX$27.14

-6.94%

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

$29.6K A$42.1K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

43.28%

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

$24.8K A$35.3K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

5.71%

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

$162 A$231

$84.8 MX$1,594

91.60%

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

$17.88 A$25.42

$23.41 MX$440

-23.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 A$72.5

$28.66 MX$539

77.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 A$74.0

$57.1 MX$1,072

-8.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.57 A$24.99

$28.91 MX$543

-39.23%

Cinema Ticket

$13.23 A$18.81

$5.14 MX$96.6

157.39%

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

$2,148 A$3,056

$207 MX$3,882

940.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K A$32.0K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

473.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 A$79.2

$43.35 MX$815

28.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 A$87.3

$41.44 MX$779

48.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 A$210

$74.2 MX$1,394

98.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$89.3 MX$1,677

24.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 A$1,173

$980 MX$18.4K

-15.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 A$848

$381 MX$7,157

56.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 A$2,044

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-15.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 A$2,147

$1,075 MX$20.2K

40.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,655 A$8,043

$3,943 MX$74.1K

43.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,344 A$7,601

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-13.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,713 A$6,703

$735 MX$13.8K

541.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

11.45

-54.32%

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

Last update for Orange, NSW: October 27, 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

Orange, NSW

$596 33.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 36.1% $215

Groceries & Markets

Orange, NSW

$322 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 20.8% $67

Eating Out

Orange, NSW

$256 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 21.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Orange, NSW

$231 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 40.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Orange, NSW

$169 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 33.9% $57

Getting Around

Orange, NSW

$105 6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 51.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Orange, NSW

$79 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 14.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $825 in Orange, NSW and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Orange, NSW pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Orange, NSW vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Orange, NSW

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

22:49 10:49 PM

16 h behind Orange, NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,127

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Orange, NSW Playa del Carmen 14,340 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Orange, NSW
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

Orange, NSW vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,758 in Orange, NSW and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Orange, NSW is about 6.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $825 in Orange, NSW versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,148 in Orange, NSW versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Orange, NSW. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,758 in Orange, NSW, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Orange, NSW. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Orange, NSW on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.