Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Karratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,473 in Karratha, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Karratha
Learn more

Karratha Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Karratha

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,473 in Karratha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Karratha $2,473

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,581 in Karratha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Karratha $3,581

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,690 in Karratha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Karratha $4,690

Playa del Carmen is about 51% cheaper than Karratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Karratha is 83% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$17.59 A$24.99

-38.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$824

$82.6 A$117

-46.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$219

$10.31 A$14.66

14.06%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.6

$3.88 A$5.52

-5.15%

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

$1.34 MX$25.01

$2.83 A$4.02

-52.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.38

$2.19 A$3.11

-62.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.1

$7.54 A$10.72

-59.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.1

$7.58 A$10.77

-34.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.41

$1.52 A$2.16

-3.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.32

$2.72 A$3.86

-18.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.57

$2.26 A$3.21

-34.51%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.41

$4.83 A$6.86

-48.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$9.42 A$13.39

-20.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$9.43 A$13.39

-15.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$234

$14.89 A$21.15

-15.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$3.97 A$5.65

-29.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.61

$3.11 A$4.42

-54.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.81

$3.29 A$4.68

-20.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.85

$4.75 A$6.75

-54.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.72

$2.81 A$3.99

-28.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.08

$2.39 A$3.40

-16.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.20

$2.33 A$3.31

-51.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.38

$1.47 A$2.09

-18.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.4

$41.46 A$58.9

-89.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$13.65 A$19.39

-26.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.67

$4.76 A$6.76

-67.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.62

$5.35 A$7.60

-50.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.82

$2.89 A$4.11

-81.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$513

$82.2 A$117

-66.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.4

$3.38 A$4.81

44.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.1

$1.58 A$2.24

117.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$100

$39.46 A$56.1

-86.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.00

$1.36 A$1.94

6.62%

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

$21.2K MX$394.5K

$27.0K A$38.3K

-21.56%

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

$23.0K MX$429.2K

$29.6K A$42.1K

-22.28%

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

$85.4 MX$1,592

$202 A$286

-57.65%

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

$23.46 MX$438

$27.87 A$39.60

-15.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$530

$55.4 A$78.7

-48.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,160

$56.7 A$80.6

9.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$535

$17.66 A$25.10

62.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.2

$14.78 A$21.00

-65.49%

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

$201 MX$3,749

$2,176 A$3,091

-90.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.6K

$20.4K A$29.0K

-80.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$828

$77.6 A$110

-42.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$771

$54.7 A$77.7

-24.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,356

$108 A$153

-32.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,671

$120 A$171

-25.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$1,391 A$1,976

-29.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,950

$1,176 A$1,671

-68.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.3K

$2,113 A$3,003

-20.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.4K

$1,779 A$2,527

-38.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.6K

$5,861 A$8,328

-32.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.4K

$4,940 A$7,020

24.22%

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 Karratha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Karratha

$1.2K 47.5% 215% $803

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Karratha

$368 14.9% 42.5% $110

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Karratha

$291 11.8% 45.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Karratha

$285 11.5% 108% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Karratha

$162 6.6% 45.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Karratha

$86 3.5% 19.1% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Karratha

$105 4.3% 103% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,391 in Karratha. 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 $83 in Karratha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $368 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Karratha

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

07:58 7:58 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,013

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Karratha 17,530 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Karratha

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 Karratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,473 in Karratha – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,710 in Karratha. 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 $1,391 in Karratha.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,473 in Karratha. That’s a gap of about 105%.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Karratha at $2,473. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karratha 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 105% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.