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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,226 in Pakenham versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,262 in Pakenham versus $2,126 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,298 in Pakenham versus $2,980 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Pakenham is roughly 75% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pakenham is 66% above, Playa del Carmen is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.52 A$27.58

$11.87 MX$204

64.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 A$112

$42.90 MX$736

84.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 A$14.06

$10.65 MX$183

-6.57%

Cappuccino

$3.58 A$5.05

$3.45 MX$59.2

3.77%

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

$2.54 A$3.59

$1.50 MX$25.81

69.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 A$3.39

$0.95 MX$16.28

152.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.49 A$10.58

$3.03 MX$51.9

147.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 A$10.14

$4.61 MX$79.1

55.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 A$1.50

$1.38 MX$23.61

-23.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 A$3.66

$1.85 MX$31.70

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 A$1.86

$1.61 MX$27.65

-18.63%

Eggs

$4.70 A$6.64

$2.59 MX$44.51

81.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 A$10.89

$8.26 MX$142

-6.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.99 A$12.71

$8.37 MX$144

7.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.85 A$20.98

$10.66 MX$183

39.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.49

$2.63 MX$45.12

20.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.11

$1.49 MX$25.53

95.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.10

$1.92 MX$32.94

51.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 A$4.65

$2.09 MX$35.81

57.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.91

$1.86 MX$31.88

48.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.22

$2.26 MX$38.81

0.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 A$3.16

$1.06 MX$18.23

110.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 A$1.88

$1.09 MX$18.67

22.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.37 A$30.19

$4.15 MX$71.2

414.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 A$20.00

$10.39 MX$178

36.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.50 A$6.35

$1.72 MX$29.59

161.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 A$7.02

$2.61 MX$44.85

90.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 A$3.71

$0.54 MX$9.30

385.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.2 A$90.7

$26.94 MX$462

138.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 A$5.11

$3.13 MX$53.7

15.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.97

$2.51 MX$43.09

-44.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.78 A$37.83

$3.15 MX$54.1

750.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 A$1.60

$1.27 MX$21.88

-11.02%

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

$28.7K A$40.6K

$30.4K MX$521.3K

-5.44%

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

$23.1K A$32.7K

$23.6K MX$404.5K

-1.94%

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

$151 A$213

$83.0 MX$1,425

81.75%

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

$21.43 A$30.28

$22.71 MX$390

-5.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 A$72.9

$29.46 MX$506

75.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.24 A$69.6

$51.0 MX$875

-3.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.53 A$21.94

$18.33 MX$315

-15.28%

Cinema Ticket

$15.98 A$22.57

$4.93 MX$84.5

224.14%

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

$1,783 A$2,519

$197 MX$3,386

803.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K A$26.9K

$5,280 MX$90.6K

260.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 A$97.8

$36.90 MX$633

87.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 A$76.9

$39.89 MX$685

36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$147

$80.0 MX$1,373

30.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$149

$89.5 MX$1,536

18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 A$1,765

$956 MX$16.4K

30.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 A$1,519

$477 MX$8,189

125.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,986 A$2,806

$1,646 MX$28.3K

20.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 A$2,363

$1,225 MX$21.0K

36.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,827 A$9,646

$3,918 MX$67.2K

74.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,765 A$8,145

$6,459 MX$110.9K

-10.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

11.42

-45.80%

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

Last update for Pakenham: June 8, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,249 in Pakenham and $956 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79.0 in Pakenham vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $250 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Pakenham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,339 in Pakenham and $1,906 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: $1,249 in Pakenham versus $956 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,783 in Pakenham versus $197 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 33% higher in Pakenham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,226 in Pakenham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Pakenham. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,271 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Pakenham and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Pakenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.