Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gold Coast

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,922 in Gold Coast, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Gold Coast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,922 in Gold Coast.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Gold Coast $2,922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,497 in Gold Coast.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Gold Coast $4,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,073 in Gold Coast.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Gold Coast $6,073

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 59% less than in Gold Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Gold Coast is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$20.81 A$29.57

-47.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$105 A$149

-58.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$10.62 A$15.08

10.92%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.76 A$5.34

1.33%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.83 A$4.01

-54.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$2.46 A$3.50

-68.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$7.77 A$11.04

-59.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$7.51 A$10.68

-34.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.57 A$2.22

-10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.65 A$3.76

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.36 A$3.35

-39.83%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$4.90 A$6.97

-48.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.09 A$12.92

-20.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$9.50 A$13.50

-18.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$14.71 A$20.90

-13.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.95 A$5.61

-29.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$3.19 A$4.53

-57.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$3.47 A$4.93

-26.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$4.16 A$5.91

-49.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.59 A$3.67

-25.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.48 A$3.52

-23.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.45 A$3.47

-53.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$2.32 A$3.29

-49.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$45.55 A$64.7

-90.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$14.19 A$20.16

-29.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$5.73 A$8.14

-72.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$6.73 A$9.56

-60.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.73 A$3.88

-79.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$56.0 A$79.6

-52.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.22 A$3.15

123.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.65 A$2.34

101.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$36.90 A$52.4

-85.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.38 A$1.96

4.35%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$29.2K A$41.5K

-29.21%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$26.6K A$37.8K

-11.84%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$218 A$310

-61.13%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$31.16 A$44.28

-24.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$54.4 A$77.3

-47.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$60.7 A$86.2

-5.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$17.58 A$24.98

64.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$13.50 A$19.18

-61.93%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$2,134 A$3,032

-90.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$12.1K A$17.2K

-67.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$76.3 A$108

-43.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$53.6 A$76.1

-22.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$106 A$150

-29.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$124 A$176

-28.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$2,293 A$3,258

-57.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$1,588 A$2,256

-76.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$3,278 A$4,658

-47.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,998 A$4,260

-64.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$10.8K A$15.4K

-63.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$7,117 A$10.1K

-13.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$4,118 A$5,851

-82.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.69

101.23%

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 Gold Coast: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4% 317% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Gold Coast

$384 13.2% 50.9% $130

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Gold Coast

$318 10.9% 57.4% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Gold Coast

$304 10.4% 122% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Gold Coast

$162 5.5% 44.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Gold Coast

$88 3% 30.3% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Gold Coast

$77 2.7% 53.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gold Coast pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $105 in Gold Coast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $384 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

00:10 12:10 AM

15 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

607,665

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gold Coast 13,890 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gold Coast

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 Gold Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Gold Coast differ by about 143% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $2,922 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 82% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 52% less than in Gold Coast. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,134 in Gold Coast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,922 in Gold Coast, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gold Coast. 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 59% less than in Gold Coast. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.