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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 3.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 34.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 63% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.69 NZ$29.04
$11.88 MX$210
40.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.7 NZ$128
$41.90 MX$740
75.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.13 NZ$21.11
$10.55 MX$186
14.98%
Cappuccino
$3.50 NZ$6.09
$3.60 MX$63.5
-2.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 NZ$4.17
$1.50 MX$26.45
60.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 NZ$3.60
$0.91 MX$16.09
127.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.03 NZ$12.24
$3.08 MX$54.4
128.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.45 NZ$11.23
$4.47 MX$78.8
44.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.91 NZ$3.32
$1.39 MX$24.54
37.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.13 NZ$3.71
$1.90 MX$33.47
12.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 NZ$3.09
$1.60 MX$28.27
11.25%
Eggs
$5.41 NZ$9.41
$2.60 MX$45.97
108.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.32 NZ$14.48
$8.36 MX$148
-0.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.24 NZ$16.08
$8.64 MX$152
6.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.37 NZ$21.53
$10.91 MX$192
13.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.49 NZ$4.32
$2.61 MX$45.98
-4.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 NZ$3.30
$1.44 MX$25.46
31.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.43 NZ$4.23
$1.96 MX$34.55
23.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.42 NZ$5.95
$2.12 MX$37.34
61.32%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 NZ$3.59
$1.86 MX$32.87
10.75%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 NZ$3.94
$2.22 MX$39.20
1.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.03 NZ$3.54
$1.02 MX$17.99
99.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 NZ$1.65
$1.04 MX$18.36
-8.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.42 NZ$35.53
$4.05 MX$71.5
404.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 NZ$15.42
$10.18 MX$180
-12.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.45 NZ$4.26
$1.69 MX$29.79
44.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.40 NZ$9.40
$2.62 MX$46.25
106.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.64 NZ$8.07
$0.51 MX$9.09
809.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.43 NZ$52.9
$26.52 MX$468
14.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.40 NZ$4.17
$3.15 MX$55.7
-23.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.77 NZ$3.08
$2.46 MX$43.49
-28.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.92 NZ$29.43
$3.26 MX$57.5
419.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.73 NZ$3.01
$1.32 MX$23.36
31.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.5K NZ$32.2K
$30.1K MX$531.0K
-38.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.2K NZ$36.9K
$23.8K MX$419.3K
-10.68%
🧾 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$156
$83.5 MX$1,474
7.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.86 NZ$65.9
$22.86 MX$404
65.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.07 NZ$83.7
$30.04 MX$530
60.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.85 NZ$60.7
$51.9 MX$916
-32.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.22 NZ$23.00
$18.30 MX$323
-27.76%
Cinema Ticket
$9.08 NZ$15.80
$5.12 MX$90.4
77.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,006 NZ$1,750
$201 MX$3,541
401.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,145 NZ$10.7K
$5,318 MX$93.9K
15.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.8 NZ$98.9
$35.73 MX$631
59.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.29 NZ$66.6
$40.27 MX$711
-4.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.3 NZ$159
$79.2 MX$1,398
15.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.7 NZ$163
$89.3 MX$1,576
5.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$834 NZ$1,452
$947 MX$16.7K
-11.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$702 NZ$1,222
$483 MX$8,525
45.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,527 NZ$2,657
$1,599 MX$28.2K
-4.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,379 NZ$2,400
$1,211 MX$21.4K
13.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,137 NZ$3,719
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-46.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,887 NZ$3,283
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-70.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,504 NZ$4,357
$730 MX$12.9K
243.21%
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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 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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