Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth 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 Perth and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,027 in Perth versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Perth $3,027
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,162 in Perth versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Perth $4,162
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,297 in Perth versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Perth $5,297
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Perth is roughly 151% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Perth is 123% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 A$30.54

$10.86 MX$201

95.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$44.21 MX$817

91.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 A$15.84

$11.76 MX$217

-6.38%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$3.68 MX$68.0

20.38%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$1.34 MX$24.79

114.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.82 MX$15.24

174.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 A$12.14

$3.06 MX$56.6

175.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$4.94 MX$91.2

66.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.51

$1.47 MX$27.17

18.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 A$4.49

$2.22 MX$40.95

40.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.96

$1.48 MX$27.32

39.19%

Eggs

$5.21 A$7.50

$2.49 MX$45.99

109.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.98

$7.52 MX$139

19.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 A$13.43

$7.96 MX$147

17.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 A$19.85

$12.57 MX$232

9.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.60

$2.78 MX$51.3

65.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.65

$1.43 MX$26.37

125.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.89

$2.62 MX$48.37

29.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$7.03

$2.14 MX$39.49

128.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.12

$2.02 MX$37.38

41.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.99 MX$36.74

-5.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 A$3.15

$1.14 MX$21.01

92.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$2.00

$1.20 MX$22.18

15.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.45 A$61.1

$4.26 MX$78.7

896.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 A$18.31

$10.02 MX$185

27.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.56

$1.54 MX$28.41

196.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.78

$2.66 MX$49.17

24.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.45

$0.53 MX$9.73

352.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 A$142

$27.51 MX$508

257.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$4.90 MX$90.6

-27.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.09

$3.43 MX$63.5

-57.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 A$58.2

$5.38 MX$99.4

651.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.45 MX$26.76

-6.21%

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

$29.6K A$42.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

39.95%

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

$27.7K A$39.9K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

20.43%

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

$205 A$295

$85.4 MX$1,577

140.53%

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

$32.82 A$47.23

$23.46 MX$434

39.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 A$92.1

$28.43 MX$525

125.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.4

$62.2 MX$1,149

-11.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.94 A$30.13

$28.68 MX$530

-26.99%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 A$24.85

$5.10 MX$94.3

238.63%

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

$2,320 A$3,339

$201 MX$3,715

1054.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

479.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 A$110

$44.39 MX$820

72.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$90.8

$41.35 MX$764

52.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$176

$72.7 MX$1,344

67.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 A$235

$89.6 MX$1,656

82.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 A$2,786

$979 MX$18.1K

97.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 A$2,337

$373 MX$6,887

335.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 A$4,058

$1,681 MX$31.1K

67.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 A$3,110

$1,095 MX$20.2K

97.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,369 A$12.0K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

111.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,001 A$8,635

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-2.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,209 A$6,056

$738 MX$13.6K

470.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

11.45

-47.95%

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

Last update for Perth: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.6K 53.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 77% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$366 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 29.4% $107

Eating Out

Perth

$335 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 40.3% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 10%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.6% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 41.6% $79

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 56.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$90 3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 19.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,936 in Perth and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 471% 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: $85.0 in Perth vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

13 h behind Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

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 21, 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 21, 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 →

On the map

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Perth Playa del Carmen 17,410 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 151% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 471% 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: $1,936 in Perth versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 258% less than in Perth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,320 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.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,027 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.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Perth, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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 151% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.