Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ashburton

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,040 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,040 in Ashburton, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ashburton $2,040

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,892 in Ashburton, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ashburton $2,892

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,745 in Ashburton, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ashburton $3,745

Playa del Carmen is about 41% cheaper than Ashburton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Ashburton is 50% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$14.48 NZ$25.74

-24.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$69.9 NZ$124

-37.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.28 NZ$16.49

26.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.30 NZ$5.86

15.45%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.27 NZ$4.03

-43.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-58.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$6.74 NZ$11.99

-52.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.98 NZ$12.41

-29.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.67 NZ$2.97

-15.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.80 NZ$3.19

23.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.41 NZ$2.51

0.71%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$6.04 NZ$10.73

-58.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$7.28 NZ$12.94

-0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.47 NZ$16.83

-18.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$13.47 NZ$23.95

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.48 NZ$4.41

12.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.02 NZ$3.58

-32.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.74 NZ$4.86

-6.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$3.07 NZ$5.45

-30.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.52 NZ$2.70

27.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.40 NZ$2.48

35.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.28 NZ$4.05

-49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.28 NZ$2.28

-7.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$24.04 NZ$42.73

-82.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.35 NZ$14.85

19.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$3.50 NZ$6.22

-54.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$4.44 NZ$7.90

-39.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.76 NZ$3.13

-68.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$90.7 NZ$161

-70.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.49 NZ$4.43

99.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.68 NZ$2.98

98.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$28.87 NZ$51.3

-81.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-25.39%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$28.0K NZ$49.8K

-26.24%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

0.68%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$157 NZ$280

-46.10%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$23.27 NZ$41.36

0.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$44.99 NZ$80.0

-36.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$39.50 NZ$70.2

44.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$11.67 NZ$20.75

-55.96%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$676 NZ$1,202

-69.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

-81.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$59.7 NZ$106

-27.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$40.20 NZ$71.5

3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$102 NZ$181

-27.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$124 NZ$221

-28.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$924 NZ$1,642

6.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$949 NZ$1,687

-59.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,883 NZ$3,347

-9.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,288 NZ$2,290

-16.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$5,025 NZ$8,933

-21.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$3,445 NZ$6,123

78.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.91

93.74%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ashburton

$949 46.5% 149% $568

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ashburton

$300 14.7% 17.7% $45

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ashburton

$248 12.1% 22.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ashburton

$226 11.1% 64.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ashburton

$147 7.2% 31.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ashburton

$63 3.1% 6.7% $4.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ashburton

$109 5.3% 115% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $924 in Ashburton. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $70 in Ashburton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $300 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

22:02 10:02 PM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ashburton 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ashburton

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,040 in Ashburton – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,060 in Ashburton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $924 in Ashburton. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Ashburton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $70 in Ashburton. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Ashburton at $2,040. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashburton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,040 in Ashburton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.