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: $2,256 in Pakenham versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,295 in Pakenham versus $2,125 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,335 in Pakenham versus $2,990 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Pakenham is roughly 79% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pakenham is 69% above, Playa del Carmen is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 A$27.85

$11.72 MX$203

67.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 A$112

$41.89 MX$725

88.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.62 A$13.65

$10.51 MX$182

-8.47%

Cappuccino

$3.63 A$5.15

$3.59 MX$62.0

1.11%

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

$2.50 A$3.55

$1.51 MX$26.10

65.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.24

$0.92 MX$15.83

147.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 A$10.09

$2.96 MX$51.2

140.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.28 A$10.33

$4.41 MX$76.3

65.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 A$1.50

$1.40 MX$24.16

-24.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 A$3.79

$1.88 MX$32.60

42.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 A$1.88

$1.56 MX$26.97

-15.38%

Eggs

$4.66 A$6.61

$2.61 MX$45.14

78.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.61 A$10.79

$8.32 MX$144

-8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 A$13.20

$8.35 MX$145

11.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 A$20.49

$10.86 MX$188

32.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.66

$2.71 MX$46.93

21.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 A$3.95

$1.51 MX$26.04

84.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.13

$1.87 MX$32.41

55.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.63

$2.19 MX$37.89

48.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.78

$1.86 MX$32.14

43.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.17

$2.23 MX$38.59

0.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 A$3.02

$1.07 MX$18.48

99.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 A$1.81

$1.09 MX$18.79

17.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.86 A$31.01

$4.19 MX$72.4

421.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.76

$10.43 MX$180

33.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.52 A$6.41

$1.66 MX$28.68

172.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 A$6.81

$2.61 MX$45.19

83.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 A$3.71

$0.54 MX$9.37

383.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.0 A$90.8

$26.16 MX$453

144.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 A$5.14

$3.08 MX$53.3

17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 A$2.00

$2.40 MX$41.61

-41.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.38 A$38.85

$3.13 MX$54.1

774.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.67

$1.31 MX$22.69

-9.92%

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

$28.9K A$41.1K

$29.8K MX$515.7K

-2.88%

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

$23.0K A$32.7K

$23.3K MX$403.5K

-1.31%

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

$155 A$219

$81.3 MX$1,406

90.18%

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

$20.73 A$29.42

$22.56 MX$390

-8.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 A$72.8

$30.05 MX$520

70.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.24 A$69.9

$52.9 MX$915

-6.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.85 A$22.49

$18.39 MX$318

-13.81%

Cinema Ticket

$16.56 A$23.50

$4.92 MX$85.1

236.59%

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

$1,720 A$2,440

$201 MX$3,474

756.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K A$27.1K

$5,175 MX$89.5K

269.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 A$96.8

$35.92 MX$622

89.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$76.2

$40.13 MX$694

33.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$153

$79.7 MX$1,379

35.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$150

$86.5 MX$1,496

22.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 A$1,790

$978 MX$16.9K

28.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 A$1,505

$470 MX$8,140

125.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,977 A$2,805

$1,651 MX$28.6K

19.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 A$2,381

$1,203 MX$20.8K

39.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,371 A$9,040

$3,953 MX$68.4K

61.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,153 A$7,312

$6,607 MX$114.3K

-22.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$677 MX$11.7K

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: July 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Pakenham and $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79.0 in Pakenham vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $252 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 79% 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 $3,383 in Pakenham and $1,890 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: $1,261 in Pakenham versus $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,720 in Pakenham versus $201 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 32% higher in Pakenham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,256 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 $1,260 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 79% less than in Pakenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.