Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Broken Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,371 in Broken Hill, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Broken Hill
Learn more

Broken Hill Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Broken Hill

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 Broken Hill actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,371 in Broken Hill.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Broken Hill $2,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,506 in Broken Hill.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Broken Hill $3,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,641 in Broken Hill.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Broken Hill $4,641

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 49% less than in Broken Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Broken Hill is 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$16.76 A$23.94

-34.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$83.4 A$119

-47.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$9.11 A$13.01

29.31%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$4.13 A$5.90

-7.75%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$2.79 A$3.99

-54.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$2.33 A$3.33

-66.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$7.47 A$10.66

-57.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$7.00 A$10.00

-29.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.76 A$2.52

-19.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$2.80 A$4.00

-20.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$2.04 A$2.91

-30.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$5.54 A$7.91

-54.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.62 A$13.74

-24.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.18 A$14.54

-24.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$16.35 A$23.35

-22.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$4.25 A$6.07

-34.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$2.85 A$4.06

-51.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$2.98 A$4.26

-14.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$4.72 A$6.74

-55.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$3.03 A$4.32

-35.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$2.34 A$3.34

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$2.23 A$3.19

-48.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$1.56 A$2.22

-24.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$48.29 A$69.0

-91.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$15.24 A$21.76

-34.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$4.21 A$6.01

-62.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$5.47 A$7.82

-51.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$2.70 A$3.85

-79.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$76.7 A$109

-65.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$3.77 A$5.39

31.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$1.80 A$2.57

85.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$44.58 A$63.7

-87.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.52 A$2.17

-5.26%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$30.7K A$43.9K

-32.72%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$24.5K A$35.0K

-4.24%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$205 A$293

-58.65%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$25.11 A$35.87

-6.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$57.2 A$81.6

-49.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$63.6 A$90.9

-10.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$15.15 A$21.63

90.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$13.97 A$19.96

-63.21%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$2,372 A$3,388

-91.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$21.7K A$30.9K

-81.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$69.0 A$98.5

-37.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$48.07 A$68.7

-13.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$106 A$151

-29.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$125 A$178

-28.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,594 A$2,277

-38.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$1,070 A$1,528

-64.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$2,252 A$3,216

-24.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,720 A$2,457

-37.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$5,079 A$7,253

-22.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$4,926 A$7,035

25.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.9

94.07%

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 Broken Hill: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Broken Hill

$1.1K 45.1% 181% $689

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Broken Hill

$383 16.1% 50.1% $128

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Broken Hill

$283 11.9% 39.8% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Broken Hill

$287 12.1% 110% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Broken Hill

$156 6.6% 40% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Broken Hill

$92 3.9% 36% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Broken Hill

$100 4.2% 98.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,594 in Broken Hill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $83 in Broken Hill for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $383 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Broken Hill

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

19:21 7:21 PM

15 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,456

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Broken Hill 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Broken Hill

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 Broken Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $3,556 in Broken Hill to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,594 in Broken Hill. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,372 in Broken Hill. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Broken Hill. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,371 in Broken Hill, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Broken Hill. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Broken Hill. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.