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 16.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 35.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 32.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.75 NZ$28.47
$11.61 MX$200
44.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.7 NZ$124
$42.75 MX$738
70.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.19 NZ$20.73
$10.60 MX$183
15.00%
Cappuccino
$3.53 NZ$6.00
$3.59 MX$62.0
-1.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 NZ$3.90
$1.45 MX$25.08
57.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 NZ$3.65
$0.90 MX$15.50
138.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.11 NZ$12.10
$3.03 MX$52.4
134.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.32 NZ$10.74
$4.56 MX$78.8
38.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.91 NZ$3.24
$1.45 MX$25.07
31.72%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 NZ$3.57
$1.83 MX$31.55
14.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 NZ$3.02
$1.61 MX$27.77
9.94%
Eggs
$5.31 NZ$9.03
$2.54 MX$43.82
109.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.93 NZ$13.48
$8.54 MX$148
-7.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.26 NZ$15.75
$8.47 MX$146
9.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.17 NZ$20.70
$10.86 MX$188
12.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 NZ$4.16
$2.73 MX$47.13
-10.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 NZ$3.21
$1.49 MX$25.77
26.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.44 NZ$4.14
$1.94 MX$33.55
25.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.49 NZ$5.94
$2.16 MX$37.38
61.57%
Potato (1kg)
$2.12 NZ$3.61
$1.85 MX$31.88
14.59%
Onion (1kg)
$2.16 NZ$3.67
$2.19 MX$37.80
-1.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.07 NZ$3.52
$1.07 MX$18.52
93.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 NZ$1.66
$1.08 MX$18.71
-9.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.55 NZ$34.93
$4.06 MX$70.1
406.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.07 NZ$15.42
$10.46 MX$181
-13.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.53 NZ$4.29
$1.65 MX$28.56
53.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.47 NZ$9.30
$2.55 MX$44.01
114.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.63 NZ$7.86
$0.56 MX$9.60
726.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.84 NZ$50.7
$26.20 MX$453
13.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.44 NZ$4.15
$3.14 MX$54.2
-22.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.87 NZ$3.18
$2.37 MX$40.96
-21.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.86 NZ$28.67
$3.24 MX$56.0
420.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.73 NZ$2.94
$1.31 MX$22.70
32.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.8K NZ$32.0K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-38.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.4K NZ$36.4K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-10.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.0 NZ$150
$83.1 MX$1,436
5.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.87 NZ$62.7
$22.15 MX$383
66.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.64 NZ$81.0
$29.37 MX$507
62.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.20 NZ$59.9
$51.2 MX$884
-31.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.28 NZ$22.58
$18.69 MX$323
-28.95%
Cinema Ticket
$9.16 NZ$15.57
$4.89 MX$84.4
87.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$995 NZ$1,692
$199 MX$3,431
400.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,171 NZ$10.5K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
18.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.1 NZ$97.0
$35.93 MX$621
58.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.08 NZ$64.7
$39.39 MX$680
-3.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.5 NZ$154
$80.3 MX$1,387
12.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.4 NZ$159
$87.6 MX$1,512
6.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$841 NZ$1,429
$963 MX$16.6K
-12.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$688 NZ$1,170
$482 MX$8,326
42.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,546 NZ$2,628
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-6.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,366 NZ$2,322
$1,192 MX$20.6K
14.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,184 NZ$3,713
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-44.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 NZ$3,246
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-70.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palmerston North
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,576 NZ$4,380
$726 MX$12.5K
254.72%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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