Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bunbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,192 in Bunbury, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
105

Cost of Living Index in Bunbury
Learn more

Bunbury Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bunbury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,192 in Bunbury.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bunbury $2,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,364 in Bunbury.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bunbury $3,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,536 in Bunbury.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bunbury $4,536

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 45% less than in Bunbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Bunbury is 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$20.96 A$29.81

-47.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$82.6 A$117

-47.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$11.17 A$15.89

5.46%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.15 A$5.90

-8.19%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.77 A$3.94

-53.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$2.20 A$3.13

-64.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$8.49 A$12.08

-62.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$8.53 A$12.13

-42.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.09 A$1.54

29.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.11 A$1.58

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.96 A$2.78

-27.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$5.30 A$7.54

-52.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$9.03 A$12.85

-19.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$8.35 A$11.88

-7.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$8.27 A$11.77

53.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.72 A$5.30

-25.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$3.15 A$4.49

-56.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.86 A$4.07

-10.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.59 A$6.53

-53.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.79 A$3.97

-30.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.98 A$2.81

-4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.78 A$2.54

-35.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.79 A$1.12

49.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$26.21 A$37.28

-83.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.96 A$9.90

42.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$4.39 A$6.24

-64.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.41 A$4.85

-21.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$2.84 A$4.04

-80.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$55.9 A$79.5

-52.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.55 A$5.05

40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.42 A$2.02

134.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$35.44 A$50.4

-84.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.22 A$1.74

18.03%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$20.7K A$29.5K

-0.35%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$18.7K A$26.6K

25.39%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$157 A$224

-46.11%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$32.85 A$46.72

-28.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$62.9 A$89.4

-54.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$55.6 A$79.1

2.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$10.48 A$14.90

175.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$13.92 A$19.80

-63.07%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$2,269 A$3,227

-90.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$22.9K A$32.6K

-82.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$76.9 A$109

-43.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$63.1 A$89.7

-34.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$122 A$173

-39.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$96.0 A$137

-7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$992 A$1,411

-1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$998 A$1,419

-61.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,850 A$2,631

-7.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,812 A$2,577

-40.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$4,785 A$6,806

-17.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$4,027 A$5,727

52.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$4,606 A$6,551

-84.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.96

92.11%

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 Bunbury: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bunbury

$998 45.5% 162% $617

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bunbury

$288 13.2% 13.1% $33

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bunbury

$330 15.1% 63.3% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bunbury

$253 11.6% 84.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bunbury

$161 7.3% 44.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bunbury

$83 3.8% 23.9% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bunbury

$78 3.6% 54.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $992 in Bunbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bunbury pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $83 in Bunbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $288 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Bunbury

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

13:07 1:07 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

75,196

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bunbury 17,370 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bunbury

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 Bunbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 84% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $992 in Bunbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,269 in Bunbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,192 in Bunbury, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bunbury. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Bunbury on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.