Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Fremantle

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,509 in Fremantle, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Fremantle, Australia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Fremantle
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,509
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,509 in Fremantle, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Fremantle $2,509

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,301 in Fremantle, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Fremantle $3,301

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,094 in Fremantle, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Fremantle $4,094

Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper than Fremantle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Fremantle is 84% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Fremantle
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$18.98 A$26.99
-42.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$82.2 A$117
-47.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$10.97 A$15.60
7.38%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$3.60 A$5.12
5.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.04
$2.86 A$4.06
-55.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.68
$1.88 A$2.67
-58.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.4
$7.91 A$11.25
-59.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$8.36 A$11.88
-41.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Fremantle
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.37
$1.64 A$2.33
-14.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.57
$3.22 A$4.58
-31.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.57
$1.99 A$2.83
-28.64%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.30
$5.16 A$7.34
-51.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$9.41 A$13.39
-22.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$8.20 A$11.65
-6.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$12.06 A$17.14
5.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$3.81 A$5.42
-27.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.65
$3.22 A$4.57
-57.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.83
$3.48 A$4.95
-26.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.81
$3.41 A$4.86
-37.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.34
$2.77 A$3.94
-29.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.36
$1.90 A$2.71
-0.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.50
$2.05 A$2.92
-43.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.11
$1.41 A$2.00
-16.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$35.75 A$50.8
-87.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$10.36 A$14.73
-3.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.69
$3.55 A$5.04
-55.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$3.47 A$4.94
-23.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Fremantle
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
$2.75 A$3.91
-80.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
$85.2 A$121
-68.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.2
$3.74 A$5.31
32.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$1.42 A$2.02
134.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$41.29 A$58.7
-87.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.07
$1.22 A$1.73
18.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.5K
$30.7K A$43.6K
-32.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.0K
$26.6K A$37.8K
-11.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Fremantle
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,590
$207 A$294
-59.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$24.83 A$35.30
-5.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$63.6 A$90.4
-54.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Fremantle
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,070
$44.79 A$63.7
27.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
$17.55 A$24.95
64.73%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.4
$15.79 A$22.46
-67.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Fremantle
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,873
$2,265 A$3,220
-90.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$23.2K A$33.0K
-83.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Fremantle
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$813
$35.56 A$50.6
21.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$55.3 A$78.6
-25.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,391
$125 A$177
-40.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,673
$160 A$227
-44.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Fremantle
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,378 A$1,959
-28.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,140
$1,224 A$1,740
-68.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
$2,245 A$3,192
-23.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$1,219 A$1,734
-11.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
$5,606 A$7,971
-29.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.5K
$5,480 A$7,791
12.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Fremantle
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$3,936 A$5,596
-81.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5.96
92.11%

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 Fremantle: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Fremantle
$1.2K 221% $843
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Fremantle
$335 31.3% $80
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Fremantle
$303 49.9% $101
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Fremantle
$295 116% $159
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Fremantle
$169 51.2% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Fremantle
$76 13.5% $9.1
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Fremantle
$107 112% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,378 in Fremantle. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fremantle are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $82 in Fremantle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $335 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇦🇺 Fremantle
🕒 Local time
13:11 1:11 PM
02:11 2:11 AM
13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
8,616
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Fremantle 17,420 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Fremantle

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 Fremantle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Fremantle?
Fremantle costs about 108% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Fremantle?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,764 in Fremantle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Fremantle?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,378 in Fremantle.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Fremantle?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,265 in Fremantle. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Fremantle?
Groceries cost about 31% more in Fremantle, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Fremantle?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Fremantle at $2,509. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fremantle it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Fremantle?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fremantle makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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