Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Canterbury, New Zealand

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
Learn more

Canterbury Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $915 in Canterbury, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Canterbury $915

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,521 in Canterbury, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Canterbury $1,521

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,127 in Canterbury, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Canterbury $2,127

Playa del Carmen costs about 32% more than Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Canterbury are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Canterbury 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.95 NZ$24.76

-21.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$63.7 NZ$113

-31.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$11.52 NZ$20.45

2.26%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.06 NZ$5.44

24.51%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.07 NZ$3.67

-38.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-63.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.94 NZ$7.00

-19.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.09 NZ$10.82

-19.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-36.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.93 NZ$3.42

15.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.69 NZ$3.01

-15.98%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$5.53 NZ$9.82

-54.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.34 NZ$14.81

-12.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.17 NZ$16.28

-16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$16.50 NZ$29.30

-23.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.91 NZ$5.16

-4.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-38.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.30 NZ$5.85

-22.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$5.19 NZ$9.21

-59.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.85 NZ$3.29

4.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.87 NZ$3.32

1.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-50.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.59 NZ$1.06

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$21.06 NZ$37.39

-79.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.26 NZ$16.44

7.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$3.21 NZ$5.71

-50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.20 NZ$2.13

122.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$5.73 NZ$10.17

-13.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$28.19 NZ$50.1

-80.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.60 NZ$2.84

-10.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-27.48%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$23.3K NZ$41.3K

0.85%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$113 NZ$201

-25.01%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$29.09 NZ$51.6

-19.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$51.7 NZ$91.8

-44.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$11.46 NZ$20.34

-55.15%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$590 NZ$1,048

-64.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$59.9 NZ$106

-27.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$22.35 NZ$39.69

85.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$91.2 NZ$162

-18.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$139 NZ$247

-35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$898 NZ$1,595

9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,733 NZ$4,853

-73.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

186.25%

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 Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Canterbury

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Canterbury

$320 35% 25.8% $66

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Canterbury

$232 25.3% 14.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Canterbury

$194 21.2% 41.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Canterbury

$141 15.4% 25.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5% 66% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6% 88.6% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $898 in Canterbury. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Canterbury are about 3.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $64 in Canterbury. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $320 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

14:09 2:09 PM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Canterbury 12,450 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Canterbury

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $915 in Canterbury – Canterbury comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,373 in Canterbury. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $898 in Canterbury. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $64 in Canterbury. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $915 in Canterbury to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.