Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Epping

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,637 in Epping, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Epping
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Epping Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Epping

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,637 in Epping.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Epping $2,637

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,717 in Epping.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Epping $3,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,798 in Epping.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Epping $4,798

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 54% less than in Epping, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Epping is 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$12.53 A$17.94

-14.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$64.3 A$92.1

-31.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$11.66 A$16.69

1.11%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.12 A$4.47

21.47%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.46 A$3.53

-47.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$2.55 A$3.65

-67.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$8.16 A$11.68

-61.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$8.56 A$12.25

-42.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.52 A$2.18

-7.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.15 A$3.08

2.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.87 A$2.68

-21.39%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$5.28 A$7.56

-52.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$10.12 A$14.49

-27.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$8.49 A$12.15

-6.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$15.02 A$21.50

-14.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.46 A$4.95

-16.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.80 A$4.01

-50.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.46 A$3.52

1.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$3.47 A$4.97

-41.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$2.40 A$3.44

-15.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.21 A$3.16

-14.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.11 A$3.02

-45.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.56 A$2.23

-20.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$27.46 A$39.30

-84.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$10.59 A$15.16

-7.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$4.44 A$6.35

-64.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$4.73 A$6.78

-41.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$3.20 A$4.58

-84.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$83.3 A$119

-67.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$3.59 A$5.14

32.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.36 A$1.95

138.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$27.60 A$39.51

-80.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.26 A$1.81

21.43%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$17.4K A$24.9K

22.14%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$18.9K A$27.0K

23.36%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$139 A$199

-39.96%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$28.02 A$40.11

-17.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$44.70 A$64.0

-38.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$56.4 A$80.7

0.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$17.89 A$25.61

57.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$14.25 A$20.40

-64.91%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$1,669 A$2,389

-87.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$21.7K A$31.1K

-75.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$70.3 A$101

-38.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$48.67 A$69.7

-12.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$119 A$171

-39.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$107 A$152

-17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,490 A$2,134

-33.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,491 A$2,135

-74.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,359 A$3,377

-29.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,227 A$3,188

-51.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$5,850 A$8,375

-33.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$4,978 A$7,126

23.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$4,256 A$6,093

-80.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.5

108.18%

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 Epping: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Epping

$1.5K 56.6% 290% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Epping

$336 12.8% 30.6% $79

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Epping

$251 9.5% 25.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Epping

$212 8% 57.7% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Epping

$155 5.9% 39.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Epping

$85 3.2% 27.8% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Epping

$106 4% 111% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,490 in Epping. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Epping pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $64 in Epping for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $336 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Epping

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

11:08 11:08 AM

16 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

23,435

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Epping 14,160 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Epping

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 Epping: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Epping. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 80% 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,490 in Epping. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $64 in Epping. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,637 in Epping – Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,637 in Epping, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Epping. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Epping. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.