Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bundaberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,130 in Bundaberg, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Bundaberg, Australia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Bundaberg
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,130
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,130 in Bundaberg, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Bundaberg $2,130

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,193 in Bundaberg, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Bundaberg $3,193

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,255 in Bundaberg, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Bundaberg $4,255

Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper than Bundaberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Bundaberg is 58% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Bundaberg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$200
$17.64 A$25.44
-39.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$823
$70.2 A$101
-37.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$221
$10.58 A$15.26
11.44%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$71.1
$3.76 A$5.43
0.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.36
$2.22 A$3.20
-41.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.65
$2.25 A$3.25
-63.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$59.1
$7.84 A$11.30
-59.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$7.48 A$10.79
-34.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Bundaberg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.46
$2.15 A$3.11
-34.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.23
$2.37 A$3.41
-7.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.66
$3.20 A$4.62
-54.06%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.89
$4.42 A$6.38
-43.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$137
$10.39 A$14.99
-29.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$149
$9.89 A$14.27
-19.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$242
$22.63 A$32.64
-43.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.4
$3.59 A$5.18
-19.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.98
$2.70 A$3.90
-48.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.78
$2.78 A$4.02
-10.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.12
$4.37 A$6.30
-53.55%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$38.03
$3.21 A$4.62
-37.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.74
$2.52 A$3.64
-24.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.49
$2.12 A$3.05
-46.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.27
$2.63 A$3.79
-52.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.2
$29.87 A$43.09
-85.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$184
$13.22 A$19.08
-25.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.78
$7.40 A$10.68
-78.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.6
$5.13 A$7.40
-46.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Bundaberg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.67
$2.70 A$3.89
-81.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$514
$62.2 A$89.7
-55.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.4
$3.42 A$4.94
39.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$61.0
$1.64 A$2.37
98.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$40.87 A$59.0
-86.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.70
$1.24 A$1.79
23.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$398.4K
$28.2K A$40.6K
-24.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$436.9K
$26.4K A$38.0K
-11.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Bundaberg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,568
$139 A$200
-39.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$435
$27.96 A$40.33
-17.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$519
$59.5 A$85.9
-53.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Bundaberg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,060
$57.2 A$82.4
-1.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$529
$18.09 A$26.10
55.83%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.9
$12.70 A$18.32
-60.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Bundaberg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,889
$2,170 A$3,130
-90.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$98.2K
$20.3K A$29.3K
-74.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Bundaberg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$816
$108 A$156
-59.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$799
$74.9 A$108
-43.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,367
$147 A$212
-50.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,660
$158 A$229
-44.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Bundaberg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.7K
$859 A$1,238
15.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,181
$807 A$1,164
-52.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.4K
$1,653 A$2,384
1.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.3K
$1,282 A$1,849
-15.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.4K
$5,885 A$8,489
-33.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$115.3K
$5,010 A$7,228
22.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Bundaberg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.6K
$2,766 A$3,990
-69.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6
90.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bundaberg: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Bundaberg
$807 111% $425
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Bundaberg
$420 63.1% $162
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Bundaberg
$290 44.8% $90
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Bundaberg
$226 68.5% $92
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Bundaberg
$220 97.7% $109
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Bundaberg
$83 24.2% $16
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Bundaberg
$85 67.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $859 in Bundaberg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bundaberg are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $70 in Bundaberg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $420 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇦🇺 Bundaberg
🕒 Local time
07:26 7:26 AM
22:26 10:26 PM
15 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
52,370
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Bundaberg 13,950 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Bundaberg

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 Bundaberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Bundaberg?
Bundaberg costs about 77% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Bundaberg?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,195 in Bundaberg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Bundaberg?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bundaberg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $859 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Bundaberg?
Groceries cost about 63% more in Bundaberg, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Bundaberg?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $70 in Bundaberg. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Bundaberg?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Bundaberg at $2,130. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bundaberg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Bundaberg?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $2,130 in Bundaberg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Bundaberg?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bundaberg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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