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

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 24.2% cheaper than Ballina without rent, and 45% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 30.4% cheaper than Ballina without rent, and 30.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ballina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$16.38 A$25.09
-26.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$79.3 A$121
-46.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$9.75 A$14.94
7.38%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.35 A$5.12
7.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$2.58 A$3.96
-44.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$2.17 A$3.33
-58.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$6.34 A$9.71
-51.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$7.1 A$10.88
-35.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ballina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$2.38 A$3.64
-42.02%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$3.07 A$4.71
-39.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.96 A$3
-19.90%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$5.42 A$8.3
-52.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$5.99 A$9.18
43.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$8.3 A$12.71
2.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$13.7 A$20.98
-19.85%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.3 A$5.05
-17.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$2.8 A$4.29
-46.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.88 A$4.41
-34.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$3.31 A$5.07
-33.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.39 A$3.66
-21.76%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.17 A$3.32
0.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$3.15 A$4.83
-66.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1.54 A$2.35
-29.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$30.7 A$47.03
-87.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$13.11 A$20.08
-32.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$4.56 A$6.98
-62.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$5.27 A$8.07
-50.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ballina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$2.67 A$4.09
-80.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$65.2 A$99.9
-59.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$3.67 A$5.62
-11.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.55 A$2.38
53.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$33.89 A$51.9
-90.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.13 A$1.73
15.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$28.5K A$43.7K
6.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$22.5K A$34.4K
6.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ballina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$180 A$276
-53.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$27.57 A$42.24
-19.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$52.7 A$80.7
-42.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ballina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$49.42 A$75.7
5.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$15.58 A$23.86
20.15%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$13.09 A$20.06
-61.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ballina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$1,606 A$2,460
-87.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$12.1K A$18.6K
-56.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ballina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$66.8 A$102
-46.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$49.56 A$75.9
-19.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$100 A$154
-21.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$106 A$163
-16.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ballina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$1,255 A$1,923
-23.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$1,046 A$1,602
-54.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,986 A$3,042
-16.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$1,674 A$2,565
-28.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$5,199 A$7,965
-40.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$5,011 A$7,678
50.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ballina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.34
80.13%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Ballina: October 27, 2025

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