Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,253 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
Learn more

Carlton Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,253 in Carlton.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Carlton $2,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,284 in Carlton.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Carlton $3,284

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,315 in Carlton.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Carlton $4,315

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 47% less than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Carlton is 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$17.35 A$24.96

-37.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$69.5 A$100.0

-36.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.19 A$14.66

15.41%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.03 A$4.36

21.45%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.63 A$3.78

-49.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$2.11 A$3.04

-61.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$6.54 A$9.41

-53.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$6.57 A$9.46

-24.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.34 A$1.92

9.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.07 A$2.98

7.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.34 A$1.92

10.45%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.27 A$4.70

-23.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.29 A$14.81

-26.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.98 A$14.37

-20.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$14.85 A$21.37

-15.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.28 A$4.72

-15.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.84 A$4.09

-49.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.21 A$4.62

-18.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.51 A$6.49

-52.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.47 A$3.55

-18.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.14 A$3.08

-7.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.17 A$3.13

-47.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.90 A$1.30

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$25.29 A$36.39

-83.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.37 A$14.92

-3.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$5.69 A$8.18

-72.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$5.21 A$7.50

-48.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$3.05 A$4.39

-82.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$82.2 A$118

-66.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.53 A$5.07

38.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.23 A$1.77

178.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$26.49 A$38.12

-79.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.30 A$1.88

11.54%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$18.1K A$26.1K

16.85%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$14.0K A$20.1K

64.80%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$92.2 A$133

-7.44%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$27.31 A$39.30

-14.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$47.00 A$67.6

-39.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$31.64 A$45.53

96.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$17.38 A$25.01

65.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$13.20 A$19.00

-61.36%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$2,076 A$2,987

-90.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$12.4K A$17.8K

-68.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$79.3 A$114

-44.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$49.34 A$71.0

-16.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$69.7 A$100

4.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$134 A$193

-33.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,395 A$2,007

-29.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,167 A$1,679

-68.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,121 A$3,052

-20.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,784 A$2,568

-38.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$5,783 A$8,322

-31.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$4,967 A$7,148

23.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$5,754 A$8,280

-87.18%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Carlton

$1.2K 51.8% 213% $794

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Carlton

$338 15% 30.6% $79

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Carlton

$271 12% 35.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Carlton

$167 7.4% 21.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Carlton

$150 6.6% 34% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Carlton

$58 2.6% 19.8% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Carlton

$104 4.6% 101% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $1,395 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 680% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $69.0 in Carlton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $338 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

23:34 11:34 PM

16 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,001

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Carlton 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Carlton

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 Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Carlton differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $2,253 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 680% lower in Carlton. 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,395 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,076 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Carlton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,253 in Carlton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Carlton. 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Carlton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Carlton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.