Cost of Living Comparison Between Papamoa Beach and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Papamoa Beach and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Papamoa Beach is 27.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 50.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Papamoa Beach is 79.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 26.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Papamoa Beach
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.88 NZ$24.55
$11.99 MX$227
24.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.8 NZ$128
$42.47 MX$803
83.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.78 NZ$16.13
$10.47 MX$198
-6.59%
Cappuccino
$3.5 NZ$5.78
$3.6 MX$68.2
-2.78%
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)
$2.22 NZ$3.65
$0.89 MX$16.79
149.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.17 NZ$11.82
$3.09 MX$58.5
132.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.03 NZ$11.6
$4.58 MX$86.6
53.49%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Papamoa Beach
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 NZ$2.99
$1.38 MX$26.04
31.16%
White Bread (500g)
$1.08 NZ$1.78
$1.85 MX$34.9
-41.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 NZ$3.31
$1.57 MX$29.68
28.03%
Eggs
$6.96 NZ$11.48
$2.55 MX$48.3
172.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.57 NZ$14.14
$8.61 MX$163
-0.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.62 NZ$15.87
$8.54 MX$161
12.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.07 NZ$21.56
$10.98 MX$208
19.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.84 NZ$4.68
$2.72 MX$51.4
4.41%
Banana (1kg)
$2.27 NZ$3.74
$1.51 MX$28.57
50.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.37 NZ$5.56
$1.88 MX$35.63
79.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$4 NZ$6.59
$2.19 MX$41.42
82.65%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 NZ$3.33
$1.87 MX$35.3
8.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.72 NZ$2.83
$2.19 MX$41.37
-21.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.9 NZ$3.14
$1.07 MX$20.23
77.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 NZ$2.06
$1.09 MX$20.64
14.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.39 NZ$41.88
$3.96 MX$74.9
541.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.55 NZ$19.04
$8.86 MX$167
30.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.96 NZ$4.89
$1.72 MX$32.53
72.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.89 NZ$6.42
$2.61 MX$49.37
49.04%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Papamoa Beach
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.12 NZ$3.5
$0.52 MX$9.74
307.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.2 NZ$106
$26.59 MX$503
141.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.16 NZ$3.55
$3.24 MX$61.2
-33.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.92 NZ$3.16
$2.38 MX$44.94
-19.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.73 NZ$58.9
$3.11 MX$58.7
1048.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.62 NZ$2.67
$1.31 MX$24.85
23.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.7K NZ$47.3K
$30.3K MX$573K
-5.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22K NZ$36.4K
$24K MX$453.6K
-8.14%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Papamoa Beach
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$143 NZ$235
$84.2 MX$1,592
69.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.91 NZ$49.34
$22.14 MX$419
35.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.52 NZ$81.7
$30.14 MX$570
64.30%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Papamoa Beach
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.13 NZ$59.6
$52 MX$983
-30.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.94 NZ$19.69
$18.72 MX$354
-36.22%
Cinema Ticket
$15.27 NZ$25.19
$5.07 MX$95.9
201.18%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Papamoa Beach
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$891 NZ$1,470
$200 MX$3,787
344.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.4K NZ$22.1K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
151.61%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Papamoa Beach
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.3 NZ$104
$35.74 MX$676
77.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.73 NZ$82
$39.8 MX$753
24.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.8 NZ$142
$79 MX$1,493
8.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 NZ$199
$88.4 MX$1,671
36.83%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Papamoa Beach
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$972 NZ$1,603
$965 MX$18.3K
0.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$798 NZ$1,316
$474 MX$8,968
68.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,580 NZ$2,606
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-4.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,438 NZ$2,372
$1,202 MX$22.7K
19.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,392 NZ$7,244
$3,081 MX$58.3K
42.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,700 NZ$6,102
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-50.86%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Papamoa Beach
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,592 NZ$2,625
$792 MX$15K
101.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.37
11.42
-44.22%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Papamoa Beach: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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