Cost of Living Comparison Between Paihia and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Paihia and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Paihia is 25.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 53.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Paihia is 40.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 26.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Paihia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.13 NZ$25.72
$11.85 MX$211
27.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.55 NZ$60.4
$42.16 MX$750
-15.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.16 NZ$15.58
$10.75 MX$191
-14.79%
Cappuccino
$3.37 NZ$5.73
$3.47 MX$61.8
-2.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 NZ$3.98
$1.45 MX$25.85
61.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 NZ$3.86
$0.90 MX$16.06
152.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.43 NZ$12.63
$3.05 MX$54.3
143.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.21 NZ$12.25
$4.42 MX$78.6
63.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Paihia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.80 NZ$3.06
$1.37 MX$24.36
31.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 NZ$3.60
$1.87 MX$33.31
13.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.34
$1.54 MX$27.46
27.27%
Eggs
$6.68 NZ$11.35
$2.50 MX$44.53
167.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.87 NZ$15.09
$8.61 MX$153
3.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.59 NZ$16.30
$8.63 MX$154
11.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.77 NZ$21.71
$11.02 MX$196
15.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 NZ$4.81
$2.75 MX$48.91
2.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.27 NZ$3.87
$1.43 MX$25.41
58.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.30 NZ$5.61
$1.87 MX$33.32
76.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 NZ$7.16
$2.17 MX$38.56
94.01%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 NZ$3.51
$1.88 MX$33.50
9.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 NZ$2.91
$2.25 MX$39.96
-24.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.88 NZ$3.20
$1.07 MX$18.99
75.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 NZ$2.12
$1.07 MX$19.10
16.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.50 NZ$43.35
$4.15 MX$73.9
514.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.88 NZ$18.49
$10.34 MX$184
5.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.06 NZ$5.20
$1.68 MX$29.87
82.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.90 NZ$6.62
$2.48 MX$44.19
57.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Paihia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.13 NZ$3.63
$0.55 MX$9.87
287.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.9 NZ$109
$26.53 MX$472
140.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.77 NZ$3.01
$3.22 MX$57.2
-45.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.94 NZ$3.29
$2.48 MX$44.15
-21.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.83 NZ$60.9
$3.11 MX$55.3
1052.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.62 NZ$2.75
$1.26 MX$22.34
28.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K NZ$47.7K
$30.7K MX$545.4K
-8.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K NZ$37.9K
$24.0K MX$427.6K
-7.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Paihia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 NZ$247
$82.5 MX$1,467
76.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.73 NZ$52.3
$22.29 MX$396
37.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.42 NZ$82.3
$30.02 MX$534
61.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Paihia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.24 NZ$63.3
$51.4 MX$915
-27.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.98 NZ$20.36
$18.29 MX$325
-34.50%
Cinema Ticket
$14.84 NZ$25.23
$4.98 MX$88.7
197.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Paihia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$916 NZ$1,557
$200 MX$3,558
357.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.5K NZ$23.0K
$5,304 MX$94.4K
155.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Paihia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.8 NZ$120
$35.71 MX$635
98.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.43 NZ$84.0
$39.56 MX$704
24.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.6 NZ$166
$80.6 MX$1,433
21.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 NZ$214
$88.3 MX$1,571
42.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Paihia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 NZ$1,666
$969 MX$17.2K
1.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$793 NZ$1,348
$482 MX$8,579
64.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,569 NZ$2,668
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-1.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 NZ$2,392
$1,184 MX$21.1K
18.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,610 NZ$9,538
$4,050 MX$72.1K
38.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,223 NZ$5,480
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-50.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Paihia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$756 MX$13.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.37
11.42
-44.22%

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

Last update for Paihia: March 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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