Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pakenham and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,614 in Pakenham, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Pakenham
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Pakenham Living Index
57

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

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Pakenham

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,614

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,614 in Pakenham versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Pakenham $2,614
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,733 in Pakenham versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Pakenham $3,733
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,852 in Pakenham versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Pakenham $4,852
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Pakenham is roughly 117% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pakenham is 93% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 A$25.38

$10.67 MX$199

66.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.8 A$119

$43.80 MX$815

89.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.28 A$17.58

$11.79 MX$219

4.16%

Cappuccino

$3.96 A$5.67

$3.79 MX$70.5

4.49%

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

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.30 MX$24.14

142.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 A$3.66

$0.83 MX$15.51

207.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.88 A$14.15

$3.15 MX$58.6

213.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.35 A$11.95

$4.93 MX$91.8

69.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 A$1.66

$1.41 MX$26.22

-17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 A$4.28

$2.20 MX$40.86

35.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$1.47 MX$27.40

74.83%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.92

$2.50 MX$46.46

121.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 A$11.74

$7.29 MX$136

12.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.76 A$13.98

$7.95 MX$148

22.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 A$21.51

$12.86 MX$239

16.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 A$5.95

$2.90 MX$53.9

43.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$1.38 MX$25.74

86.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.61

$2.49 MX$46.35

29.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.89

$2.03 MX$37.77

136.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.27

$2.02 MX$37.68

47.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.52

$1.90 MX$35.42

29.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.42

$1.14 MX$21.30

109.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 A$2.24

$1.24 MX$23.05

26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.80 A$35.50

$4.27 MX$79.5

480.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 A$17.85

$9.81 MX$183

27.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.68 A$8.13

$1.59 MX$29.51

257.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.37 A$7.69

$2.75 MX$51.1

95.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 A$3.97

$0.51 MX$9.58

443.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 A$119

$27.39 MX$510

204.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 A$6.39

$4.76 MX$88.6

-6.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.06

$3.25 MX$60.5

-55.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.08 A$43.05

$5.39 MX$100

458.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 A$2.03

$1.53 MX$28.44

-7.19%

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

$28.9K A$41.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

36.09%

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

$25.7K A$36.8K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

10.39%

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

$231 A$330

$83.5 MX$1,554

176.12%

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

$27.68 A$39.62

$23.19 MX$431

19.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.7 A$82.6

$27.61 MX$514

108.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 A$81.0

$56.4 MX$1,050

0.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.71 A$25.35

$28.19 MX$525

-37.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.54 A$25.11

$5.00 MX$93.1

250.80%

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

$2,444 A$3,499

$207 MX$3,854

1080.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.6K A$42.4K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

466.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.3 A$118

$43.45 MX$809

89.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 A$73.2

$42.54 MX$792

20.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$72.8 MX$1,354

62.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$193

$88.4 MX$1,645

52.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,413 A$2,022

$995 MX$18.5K

42.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 A$1,775

$382 MX$7,116

224.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 A$3,193

$1,674 MX$31.2K

33.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 A$2,612

$1,081 MX$20.1K

68.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,749 A$8,229

$3,909 MX$72.7K

47.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,940 A$7,071

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-19.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.45

-48.47%

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

Last update for Pakenham: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pakenham

$1.2K 47.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 69.2% $857

Groceries & Markets

Pakenham

$372 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 30.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pakenham

$316 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 57.5% $182

Eating Out

Pakenham

$315 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 36.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Pakenham

$174 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 36.1% $63

Getting Around

Pakenham

$106 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Pakenham

$92 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 27.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,413 in Pakenham and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Pakenham vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Pakenham

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

10:48 10:48 AM

16 h behind Pakenham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,118

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pakenham Playa del Carmen 14,640 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Pakenham
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 54% 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 $3,921 in Pakenham and $1,804 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: $1,413 in Pakenham versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,444 in Pakenham 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 44% higher in Pakenham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,614 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 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 54% less than in Pakenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.