Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hastings, New Zealand

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,776 in Hastings, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
Learn more

Hastings Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,776 in Hastings, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Hastings $1,776

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,606 in Hastings, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Hastings $2,606

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,436 in Hastings, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Hastings $3,436

Playa del Carmen is about 32% cheaper than Hastings, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Hastings is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$11.55 NZ$20.50

-5.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$56.3 NZ$99.9

-22.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.33 NZ$16.56

26.26%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.29 NZ$5.83

15.81%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.40 NZ$2.48

-44.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$4.43 NZ$7.86

-28.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.64 NZ$10.02

-12.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.48 NZ$2.63

-4.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.24 NZ$2.21

79.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.77 NZ$3.15

-19.77%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$5.38 NZ$9.55

-53.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$5.72 NZ$10.16

26.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.48 NZ$13.28

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.72 NZ$20.82

8.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.60 NZ$4.62

6.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-31.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.11 NZ$5.52

-18.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$3.34 NZ$5.94

-36.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.79 NZ$3.17

8.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.03 NZ$1.82

83.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.42 NZ$2.52

-19.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.97 NZ$1.72

21.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$17.86 NZ$31.70

-75.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.50 NZ$16.86

4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$3.86 NZ$6.85

-59.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$2.82 NZ$5.01

-80.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$104 NZ$184

-74.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$3.75 NZ$6.66

32.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$2.81 NZ$4.99

18.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$33.06 NZ$58.7

-83.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.56 NZ$2.77

-7.69%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$28.0K NZ$49.7K

-26.23%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

2.95%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$193 NZ$342

-55.98%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$36.75 NZ$65.2

-36.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$58.5 NZ$104

-51.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$27.61 NZ$49.01

106.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$10.35 NZ$18.38

-50.34%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$684 NZ$1,214

-69.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$23.0K NZ$40.8K

-82.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$47.65 NZ$84.6

-9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$37.98 NZ$67.4

9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$94.1 NZ$167

-21.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$90.0 NZ$160

-0.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$826 NZ$1,466

18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$711 NZ$1,262

-46.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,567 NZ$2,781

9.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,165 NZ$2,068

-7.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,213 NZ$7,479

-6.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$3,293 NZ$5,847

86.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,586 NZ$2,816

-53.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.83

67.64%

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 Hastings: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Hastings

$711 40% 86.6% $330

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Hastings

$269 15.1% 5.5% $14

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Hastings

$206 11.6% 1.8% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Hastings

$288 16.2% 110% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Hastings

$121 6.8% 8.6% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Hastings

$48 2.7% 28.2% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Hastings

$133 7.5% 164% $82

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $826 in Hastings. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hastings are about 2.2 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 $56 in Hastings. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $269 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 Hastings

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

22:08 10:08 PM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

50,100

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hastings 11,960 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hastings

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 Hastings: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hastings costs about 47% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $2,664 in Hastings. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hastings, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $826 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Hastings, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $56 in Hastings. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Hastings at $1,776. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hastings it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,776 in Hastings. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hastings makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.