Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Exmouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,489 in Exmouth, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Exmouth
Learn more

Exmouth Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Exmouth

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,489

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,489 in Exmouth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Exmouth $2,489

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,584 in Exmouth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Exmouth $3,584

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,678 in Exmouth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Exmouth $4,678

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

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Exmouth is 84% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$17.58 A$24.98

-38.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$824

$84.5 A$120

-47.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$219

$10.55 A$14.99

11.47%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.6

$3.86 A$5.49

-4.66%

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

$1.34 MX$25.01

$2.89 A$4.10

-53.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.38

$2.30 A$3.26

-64.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.1

$7.46 A$10.61

-58.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.1

$7.64 A$10.85

-35.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.41

$1.58 A$2.25

-6.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.32

$2.64 A$3.76

-15.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.57

$2.20 A$3.13

-32.73%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.41

$4.75 A$6.75

-47.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$9.34 A$13.27

-19.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$9.08 A$12.90

-12.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$234

$14.90 A$21.17

-15.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$3.78 A$5.37

-26.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.61

$2.97 A$4.22

-51.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.81

$3.20 A$4.54

-18.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.85

$4.61 A$6.55

-53.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.72

$2.68 A$3.81

-24.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.08

$2.32 A$3.29

-14.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.20

$2.34 A$3.32

-51.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.38

$1.54 A$2.19

-22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.4

$41.38 A$58.8

-89.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$13.76 A$19.55

-27.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.67

$4.62 A$6.56

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.62

$5.14 A$7.31

-48.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.82

$2.79 A$3.97

-81.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$513

$80.6 A$114

-65.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.4

$3.45 A$4.90

42.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.1

$1.55 A$2.20

121.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$100

$39.53 A$56.2

-86.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.00

$1.30 A$1.84

11.54%

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

$21.2K MX$394.5K

$26.5K A$37.7K

-20.19%

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

$23.0K MX$429.2K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-23.05%

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

$85.4 MX$1,592

$204 A$290

-58.24%

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

$23.46 MX$438

$27.80 A$39.50

-15.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$530

$55.8 A$79.3

-49.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,160

$56.5 A$80.2

10.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$535

$17.56 A$24.95

63.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.2

$14.56 A$20.69

-64.97%

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

$201 MX$3,749

$2,165 A$3,077

-90.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.6K

$20.1K A$28.6K

-80.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$828

$75.9 A$108

-41.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$771

$53.7 A$76.3

-22.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,356

$106 A$151

-31.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,671

$122 A$173

-26.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$1,411 A$2,006

-30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,950

$1,197 A$1,701

-68.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.3K

$2,161 A$3,070

-22.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.4K

$1,776 A$2,523

-38.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.6K

$5,789 A$8,226

-31.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.4K

$4,878 A$6,932

25.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.84

96.06%

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 Exmouth: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Exmouth

$1.2K 48.1% 221% $825

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Exmouth

$362 14.6% 40.2% $104

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Exmouth

$292 11.7% 45.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Exmouth

$288 11.6% 110% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Exmouth

$161 6.5% 44.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Exmouth

$86 3.4% 18.2% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Exmouth

$103 4.1% 99.2% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,411 in Exmouth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $84 in Exmouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $362 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Exmouth

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

05:35 5:35 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.89 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Exmouth 17,820 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Exmouth

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 Exmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Exmouth costs about 107% 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 $3,734 in Exmouth. 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 $979 there versus $1,411 in Exmouth.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,165 in Exmouth. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Exmouth, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Exmouth at $2,489. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Exmouth 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 107% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.