Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cairns

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,531 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,531 in Cairns, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cairns $2,531

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,753 in Cairns, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cairns $3,753

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,975 in Cairns, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cairns $4,975

Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper than Cairns, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Cairns is 86% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$17.49 A$24.86

-37.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$97.5 A$139

-55.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$12.68 A$18.02

-7.10%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.43 A$6.29

-14.00%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$3.22 A$4.57

-60.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$2.74 A$3.89

-71.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$7.21 A$10.25

-56.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$8.60 A$12.23

-42.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.94 A$2.76

-27.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.74 A$3.89

-18.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.55 A$3.62

-44.31%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$5.13 A$7.29

-50.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.50 A$13.50

-23.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$13.77 A$19.58

-44.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$15.24 A$21.66

-16.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.09 A$5.81

-32.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.85 A$4.05

-51.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.56 A$5.06

-28.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$5.93 A$8.43

-64.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.62 A$3.72

-25.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.53 A$3.59

-25.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.73 A$3.88

-57.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$2.63 A$3.74

-55.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$45.75 A$65.0

-90.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$13.94 A$19.81

-28.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$3.48 A$4.95

-54.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$5.37 A$7.63

-50.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$2.43 A$3.46

-77.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$15.73 A$22.36

69.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.53 A$3.60

96.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.94 A$2.76

71.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$42.49 A$60.4

-87.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.24 A$1.76

16.13%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$29.8K A$42.4K

-30.70%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$31.3K A$44.5K

-25.03%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$161 A$229

-47.46%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$34.86 A$49.55

-32.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$66.2 A$94.1

-56.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$44.42 A$63.1

28.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$27.62 A$39.26

4.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$13.75 A$19.54

-62.62%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$2,058 A$2,925

-89.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$14.3K A$20.3K

-72.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$89.4 A$127

-51.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$73.3 A$104

-43.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$126 A$179

-41.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$133 A$190

-33.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,491 A$2,120

-34.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$1,247 A$1,772

-69.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,408 A$3,422

-29.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,960 A$2,786

-45.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$6,463 A$9,187

-38.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$5,002 A$7,110

23.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$4,338 A$6,166

-83.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.32

81.17%

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 Cairns: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cairns

$1.2K 49.3% 227% $866

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cairns

$413 16.3% 62.2% $159

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cairns

$308 12.2% 52.3% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cairns

$262 10.4% 91.8% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cairns

$190 7.5% 70.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cairns

$72 2.8% 6.8% $4.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cairns

$38 1.5% 25.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,491 in Cairns. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cairns are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $97 in Cairns. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $413 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Cairns

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

15 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

153,181

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cairns 14,460 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cairns

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 Cairns: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 110% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,796 in Cairns. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,491 in Cairns.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Cairns, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $97 in Cairns. 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 Cairns at $2,531. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.