Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,802 in Perth versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,698 in Perth versus $2,125 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,594 in Perth versus $2,990 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Perth is roughly 43% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Perth is 35% above, Playa del Carmen is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.51 £15.20

$11.72 MX$203

75.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 £59.3

$41.89 MX$725

91.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 £7.56

$10.51 MX$182

-2.95%

Cappuccino

$4.44 £3.29

$3.59 MX$62.0

23.68%

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

$2.53 £1.87

$1.51 MX$26.10

67.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 £1.27

$0.92 MX$15.83

86.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 £4.00

$2.96 MX$51.2

82.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 £3.47

$4.41 MX$76.3

6.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.10

$1.40 MX$24.16

6.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 £1.07

$1.88 MX$32.60

-22.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$1.56 MX$26.97

17.95%

Eggs

$2.49 £1.84

$2.61 MX$45.14

-4.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 £6.13

$8.32 MX$144

-0.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 £6.68

$8.35 MX$145

8.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 £9.41

$10.86 MX$188

16.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 £2.75

$2.71 MX$46.93

36.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 £1.21

$1.51 MX$26.04

8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 £1.86

$1.87 MX$32.41

34.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 £2.79

$2.19 MX$37.89

71.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.86 MX$32.14

-7.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 £1.21

$2.23 MX$38.59

-26.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.79

$1.07 MX$18.48

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.10

$1.09 MX$18.79

35.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.06 £14.13

$4.19 MX$72.4

354.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.35 £8.41

$10.43 MX$180

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 £1.95

$1.66 MX$28.68

58.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.21

$2.61 MX$45.19

14.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.00 £2.23

$0.54 MX$9.37

455.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 £66.2

$26.16 MX$453

241.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.93 £5.14

$3.08 MX$53.3

125.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.25

$2.40 MX$41.61

-30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.58 £16.74

$3.13 MX$54.1

621.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.43

$1.31 MX$22.69

46.56%

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

$34.7K £25.7K

$29.8K MX$515.7K

16.51%

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

$43.3K £32.1K

$23.3K MX$403.5K

85.58%

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

$273 £203

$81.3 MX$1,406

236.20%

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

$13.68 £10.14

$22.56 MX$390

-39.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.03 £26.70

$30.05 MX$520

19.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.34 £24.71

$52.9 MX$915

-36.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 MX$318

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 £8.13

$4.92 MX$85.1

122.97%

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

$1,276 £946

$201 MX$3,474

535.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K £13.8K

$5,175 MX$89.5K

260.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 £61.6

$35.92 MX$622

131.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.92 £33.29

$40.13 MX$694

11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 £50.9

$79.7 MX$1,379

-13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 £61.7

$86.5 MX$1,496

-3.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$702 £520

$978 MX$16.9K

-28.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 £435

$470 MX$8,140

24.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 £904

$1,651 MX$28.6K

-26.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 £753

$1,203 MX$20.8K

-15.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,065 £3,754

$3,953 MX$68.4K

28.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,625 £1,946

$6,607 MX$114.3K

-60.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,417 £1,791

$677 MX$11.7K

257.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.7

11.42

-50.09%

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

Last update for Perth: July 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $702 in Perth and $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 257% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Perth vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $252 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Perth. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 257% higher in Perth, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $702 in Perth versus $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,276 in Perth versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Perth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,802 in Perth, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,260 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Perth and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.