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 25.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 33.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 27% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.61 NZ$27.91
$11.85 MX$205
40.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.5 NZ$123
$42.16 MX$730
74.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.90 NZ$19.99
$10.75 MX$186
10.70%
Cappuccino
$3.39 NZ$5.69
$3.47 MX$60.2
-2.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 NZ$3.85
$1.45 MX$25.17
57.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 NZ$3.58
$0.90 MX$15.64
136.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.12 NZ$11.96
$3.05 MX$52.9
133.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.34 NZ$10.66
$4.42 MX$76.5
43.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 NZ$3.31
$1.37 MX$23.72
43.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 NZ$3.46
$1.87 MX$32.43
10.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 NZ$2.93
$1.54 MX$26.74
12.99%
Eggs
$5.28 NZ$8.86
$2.50 MX$43.36
111.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.37 NZ$14.05
$8.61 MX$149
-2.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.94 NZ$15.01
$8.63 MX$150
3.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.48 NZ$20.97
$11.02 MX$191
13.25%
Apples (1kg)
$2.48 NZ$4.17
$2.75 MX$47.62
-9.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 NZ$3.03
$1.43 MX$24.73
25.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.42 NZ$4.07
$1.87 MX$32.44
29.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.34 NZ$5.60
$2.17 MX$37.54
53.92%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 NZ$3.49
$1.88 MX$32.61
10.64%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 NZ$3.66
$2.25 MX$38.91
-3.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.05 NZ$3.44
$1.07 MX$18.49
91.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 NZ$1.55
$1.07 MX$18.59
-14.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.08 NZ$33.73
$4.15 MX$72.0
383.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.02 NZ$15.16
$10.34 MX$179
-12.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.44 NZ$4.10
$1.68 MX$29.08
45.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.20 NZ$8.74
$2.48 MX$43.02
109.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.77 NZ$8.01
$0.55 MX$9.61
767.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.65 NZ$49.81
$26.53 MX$459
11.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.45 NZ$4.11
$3.22 MX$55.7
-23.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.79 NZ$3.01
$2.48 MX$42.98
-27.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.01 NZ$28.58
$3.11 MX$53.9
446.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.70 NZ$2.86
$1.26 MX$21.75
34.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.5K NZ$31.0K
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-39.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K NZ$36.3K
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-10.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 NZ$149
$82.5 MX$1,429
7.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.31 NZ$62.7
$22.29 MX$386
67.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.09 NZ$80.8
$30.02 MX$520
60.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.00 NZ$58.8
$51.4 MX$891
-31.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.25 NZ$22.26
$18.29 MX$317
-27.56%
Cinema Ticket
$9.20 NZ$15.45
$4.98 MX$86.3
84.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,022 NZ$1,717
$200 MX$3,464
411.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,103 NZ$10.3K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
15.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.1 NZ$97.5
$35.71 MX$618
62.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.06 NZ$64.0
$39.56 MX$685
-3.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 NZ$153
$80.6 MX$1,395
12.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.8 NZ$154
$88.3 MX$1,530
3.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$848 NZ$1,425
$969 MX$16.8K
-12.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$701 NZ$1,178
$482 MX$8,352
45.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,562 NZ$2,624
$1,595 MX$27.6K
-2.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 NZ$2,348
$1,184 MX$20.5K
18.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,171 NZ$3,647
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-46.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,938 NZ$3,256
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-70.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,623 NZ$4,407
$756 MX$13.1K
246.83%
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: February 28, 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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