Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penrith and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,604 in Penrith, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Penrith
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Penrith Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Penrith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,604

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penrith and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Penrith and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Penrith vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Penrith $2,604
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,652 per month in Penrith vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Penrith $3,652
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,701 per month in Penrith vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Penrith $4,701
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Penrith costs about 115% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Penrith sits 93% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.03 A$30.26

$10.76 MX$199

95.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 A$129

$43.03 MX$795

108.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 A$15.19

$11.79 MX$218

-10.43%

Cappuccino

$2.04 A$2.93

$3.87 MX$71.4

-47.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 A$4.54

$1.37 MX$25.29

130.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.69

$0.84 MX$15.44

204.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.10 MX$57.3

176.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.14

$5.07 MX$93.6

-2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.44 MX$26.55

9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 A$4.78

$2.23 MX$41.23

48.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.65

$1.47 MX$27.17

72.79%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.42

$2.53 MX$46.71

103.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 A$18.82

$7.30 MX$135

79.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 A$14.02

$7.86 MX$145

23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 A$22.16

$12.79 MX$236

20.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 A$5.65

$2.90 MX$53.6

35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.43

$1.44 MX$26.53

113.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.04

$2.55 MX$47.07

37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.31 A$7.65

$2.06 MX$38.03

157.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.56

$2.00 MX$36.97

58.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 A$4.02

$2.01 MX$37.07

39.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.57

$1.19 MX$22.02

108.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.93

$1.26 MX$23.23

6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.42 A$65.4

$4.40 MX$81.4

932.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 A$20.24

$9.59 MX$177

46.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.62 A$6.65

$1.59 MX$29.41

190.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 A$8.11

$2.81 MX$51.9

100.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.17 A$4.57

$0.57 MX$10.47

456.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$113

$27.82 MX$514

182.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 A$5.92

$4.98 MX$92.1

-17.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.26

$3.50 MX$64.6

-55.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.63 A$61.3

$5.40 MX$99.8

689.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.47 MX$27.08

-19.73%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.1K A$39.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

29.10%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.0K A$43.2K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

25.55%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$183 A$263

$84.2 MX$1,556

116.97%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.16 A$37.65

$23.99 MX$443

9.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 A$79.7

$29.02 MX$536

90.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 A$73.4

$63.0 MX$1,164

-19.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.66 A$25.42

$29.14 MX$539

-39.40%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 A$22.86

$4.94 MX$91.3

221.46%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,390 A$3,439

$204 MX$3,763

1073.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K A$28.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

405.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 A$108

$43.60 MX$806

72.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 A$80.8

$43.12 MX$797

30.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$155

$75.8 MX$1,400

42.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$88.6 MX$1,637

51.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 A$1,973

$1,008 MX$18.6K

36.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 A$1,855

$374 MX$6,911

244.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 A$3,082

$1,708 MX$31.6K

25.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,686 A$2,427

$1,106 MX$20.4K

52.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,992 A$7,184

$3,944 MX$72.9K

26.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,361 A$6,275

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-29.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

11.45

-48.03%

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

Last update for Penrith: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Penrith

$1.3K 49.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 71% $915

Groceries & Markets

Penrith

$396 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 34.7% $138

Eating Out

Penrith

$300 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 32.6% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penrith

$264 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 48.1% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Penrith

$168 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 32.8% $55

Getting Around

Penrith

$103 4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 49% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Penrith

$83 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 12% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,371 in Penrith versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Penrith versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Penrith

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

16 h behind Penrith

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,343

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Penrith Playa del Carmen 14,190 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Penrith
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Penrith vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penrith costs about 115% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,905 per month in Penrith and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 182% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,390 per month in Penrith and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Penrith at $2,604. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Penrith it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $2,604 in Penrith. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Penrith makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.