Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Forster

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,595 in Forster, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Forster
Learn more

Forster Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,595 in Forster.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Forster $2,595

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,737 in Forster.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Forster $3,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,879 in Forster.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Forster $4,879

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Forster is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$17.58 A$25.36

-39.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$92.1 A$133

-52.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$10.66 A$15.38

10.60%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$3.90 A$5.63

-2.82%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$2.82 A$4.07

-53.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$2.22 A$3.21

-62.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$6.87 A$9.91

-54.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.45 A$7.86

-9.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.64 A$2.37

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$2.91 A$4.20

-24.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$2.38 A$3.43

-38.24%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$5.62 A$8.11

-55.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$12.01 A$17.32

-39.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$9.38 A$13.54

-15.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$16.88 A$24.35

-23.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$3.90 A$5.63

-25.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$3.10 A$4.48

-55.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$3.40 A$4.91

-26.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$4.22 A$6.09

-51.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$3.24 A$4.68

-37.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$2.48 A$3.58

-23.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$2.38 A$3.43

-52.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.21 A$1.75

2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$44.92 A$64.8

-90.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$14.05 A$20.27

-30.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$3.96 A$5.72

-59.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$4.07 A$5.88

-32.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$2.83 A$4.08

-81.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$84.7 A$122

-67.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$3.50 A$5.04

36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$1.65 A$2.37

96.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$40.37 A$58.2

-86.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$1.51 A$2.17

1.32%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$30.0K A$43.2K

-29.23%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$27.9K A$40.2K

-16.61%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$252 A$364

-66.92%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$27.69 A$39.94

-16.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$56.6 A$81.6

-51.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$57.0 A$82.2

-0.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$17.43 A$25.14

61.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$17.45 A$25.17

-71.35%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$2,354 A$3,395

-91.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$27.9K A$40.2K

-81.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$80.3 A$116

-45.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$71.4 A$103

-40.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$113 A$164

-35.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$130 A$188

-32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$1,391 A$2,006

-28.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$1,217 A$1,756

-68.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$2,287 A$3,299

-26.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$1,794 A$2,588

-39.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$5,826 A$8,405

-32.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$4,884 A$7,044

25.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.92

93.41%

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 Forster: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Forster

$1.2K 46.9% 218% $835

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Forster

$379 14.6% 47.2% $121

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Forster

$285 11% 42.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Forster

$337 13% 151% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Forster

$178 6.9% 59.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Forster

$92 3.5% 38.3% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Forster

$108 4.2% 114% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,391 in Forster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $92 in Forster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $379 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Forster

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

16:46 4:46 PM

16 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,554

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 AUD = 0.693 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Forster 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Forster

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 Forster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,595 in Forster, so Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $3,893 in Forster to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,391 in Forster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,354 in Forster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Forster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,595 in Forster, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Forster. 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 Forster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.