Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kerikeri

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,901 in Kerikeri, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Kerikeri
Learn more

Kerikeri Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kerikeri

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,901 in Kerikeri, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kerikeri $1,901

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,858 in Kerikeri, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kerikeri $2,858

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,815 in Kerikeri, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kerikeri $3,815

Playa del Carmen is about 37% cheaper than Kerikeri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Kerikeri is 40% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.99 NZ$24.84

-21.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$68.8 NZ$122

-36.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.19 NZ$16.32

28.18%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.35 NZ$5.96

13.73%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.05 NZ$3.64

-37.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.78 NZ$3.16

-56.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$6.62 NZ$11.76

-52.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.72 NZ$11.93

-26.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-26.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.22 NZ$3.94

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.89 NZ$3.35

-24.87%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$6.31 NZ$11.21

-60.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$7.92 NZ$14.05

-8.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$10.18 NZ$18.06

-24.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$17.40 NZ$30.89

-27.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.87 NZ$5.09

-3.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.18 NZ$3.87

-37.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.00 NZ$5.33

-15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$6.01 NZ$10.67

-64.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-6.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.52 NZ$2.71

24.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.97 NZ$3.50

-41.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.54 NZ$0.97

118.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$27.72 NZ$49.22

-84.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.57 NZ$18.76

-5.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.89 NZ$5.13

-45.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.43 NZ$6.08

-22.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.74 NZ$3.09

-68.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$106 NZ$189

-74.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.75 NZ$3.11

184.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.66 NZ$2.94

100.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$32.70 NZ$58.1

-83.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.62 NZ$2.87

-11.11%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$26.7K NZ$47.5K

-22.69%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

6.10%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$119 NZ$212

-28.87%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$27.03 NZ$48.00

-13.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$50.7 NZ$90.1

-43.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$38.13 NZ$67.7

49.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$10.34 NZ$18.35

-50.29%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$1,059 NZ$1,880

-80.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$19.4K NZ$34.5K

-79.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$79.4 NZ$141

-45.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$33.58 NZ$59.6

23.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$95.7 NZ$170

-22.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$111 NZ$198

-19.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$968 NZ$1,719

1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$800 NZ$1,420

-52.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,620 NZ$2,876

5.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,288 NZ$2,286

-16.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,323 NZ$7,676

-8.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$2,871 NZ$5,098

114.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$5,793 NZ$10.3K

-87.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.37

113.22%

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 Kerikeri: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kerikeri

$800 42.1% 110% $419

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kerikeri

$337 17.7% 32.1% $82

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kerikeri

$242 12.7% 19.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kerikeri

$197 10.4% 43.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kerikeri

$144 7.6% 28.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kerikeri

$59 3.1% 12.7% $8.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kerikeri

$123 6.5% 144% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $968 in Kerikeri. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kerikeri are about 7.9 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 $69 in Kerikeri. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $337 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 Kerikeri

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

08:21 8:21 AM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

8,000

💱 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 Kerikeri 12,100 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kerikeri

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 Kerikeri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kerikeri costs about 58% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $2,852 in Kerikeri. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $968 in Kerikeri. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,059 in Kerikeri. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing 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 Kerikeri at $1,901. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kerikeri 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 $1,901 in Kerikeri. 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, Kerikeri makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.