Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Palmerston North is 11.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 32.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 49.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 21.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.86 NZ$27.81
$11.99 MX$227
40.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.1 NZ$119
$42.47 MX$803
69.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.27 NZ$20.23
$10.47 MX$198
17.19%
Cappuccino
$3.44 NZ$5.67
$3.6 MX$68.2
-4.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 NZ$3.91
$1.44 MX$27.16
64.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 NZ$3.43
$0.89 MX$16.79
133.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.32 NZ$12.07
$3.09 MX$58.5
136.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.32 NZ$10.42
$4.58 MX$86.6
37.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 NZ$3.16
$1.38 MX$26.04
39.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 NZ$3.39
$1.85 MX$34.9
10.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.81 NZ$2.99
$1.57 MX$29.68
15.29%
Eggs
$5.41 NZ$8.92
$2.55 MX$48.3
112.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.35 NZ$13.77
$8.61 MX$163
-3.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.37 NZ$15.46
$8.54 MX$161
9.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.3 NZ$20.28
$10.98 MX$208
12.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.52 NZ$4.16
$2.72 MX$51.4
-7.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 NZ$2.99
$1.51 MX$28.57
19.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.56 NZ$4.22
$1.88 MX$35.63
36.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.41 NZ$5.63
$2.19 MX$41.42
55.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.17 NZ$3.57
$1.87 MX$35.3
16.04%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 NZ$3.59
$2.19 MX$41.37
-0.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.14 NZ$3.53
$1.07 MX$20.23
100.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1 NZ$1.66
$1.09 MX$20.64
-8.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.09 NZ$33.14
$3.96 MX$74.9
407.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.77 NZ$14.47
$8.86 MX$167
-1.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.46 NZ$4.06
$1.72 MX$32.53
43.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.25 NZ$8.66
$2.61 MX$49.37
101.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.64 NZ$7.65
$0.52 MX$9.74
792.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.49 NZ$50.3
$26.59 MX$503
14.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.36 NZ$3.89
$3.24 MX$61.2
-27.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.8 NZ$2.97
$2.38 MX$44.94
-24.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.23 NZ$28.42
$3.11 MX$58.7
454.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 NZ$2.73
$1.31 MX$24.85
25.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.8K NZ$31K
$30.3K MX$573K
-38.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K NZ$35.7K
$24K MX$453.6K
-9.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.5 NZ$148
$84.2 MX$1,592
6.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38 NZ$62.7
$22.14 MX$419
71.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.26 NZ$79.6
$30.14 MX$570
60.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35 NZ$57.7
$52 MX$983
-32.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.95 NZ$21.37
$18.72 MX$354
-30.82%
Cinema Ticket
$8.9 NZ$14.68
$5.07 MX$95.9
75.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$999 NZ$1,648
$200 MX$3,787
398.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,262 NZ$10.3K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
17.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 NZ$92.7
$35.74 MX$676
57.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.3 NZ$63.2
$39.8 MX$753
-3.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.6 NZ$153
$79 MX$1,493
17.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.4 NZ$154
$88.4 MX$1,671
5.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$836 NZ$1,379
$965 MX$18.3K
-13.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$695 NZ$1,146
$474 MX$8,968
46.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,565 NZ$2,581
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-5.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,386 NZ$2,286
$1,202 MX$22.7K
15.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,102 NZ$3,466
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-31.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,444 NZ$4,032
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-67.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,487 NZ$4,101
$792 MX$15K
214.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.69
11.42
-41.42%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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