Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Launceston, Australia

Name: Launceston
Address: Launceston, AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,980 in Launceston, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Launceston
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Launceston Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Launceston

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,980 in Launceston.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Launceston $1,980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,081 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,837 in Launceston.

Playa del Carmen $2,081
Launceston $2,837

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,693 in Launceston.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Launceston $3,693

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 39% less than in Launceston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Launceston is 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$17.76 A$25.36

-39.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$73.4 A$105

-40.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.22 A$11.73

43.43%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$3.29 A$4.70

15.20%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$1.44 A$2.05

-9.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$2.23 A$3.19

-62.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$6.15 A$8.78

-48.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$7.10 A$10.14

-30.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.80 A$2.57

-21.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$2.48 A$3.54

-11.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$1.23 A$1.76

19.51%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$3.67 A$5.24

-31.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$9.85 A$14.06

-25.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$8.47 A$12.10

-6.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$10.32 A$14.74

24.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.74 A$3.91

5.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$2.78 A$3.97

-50.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$2.77 A$3.95

-10.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$4.72 A$6.74

-56.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$2.04 A$2.91

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$1.42 A$2.03

33.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$2.55 A$3.64

-55.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$0.53 A$0.76

133.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$35.52 A$50.7

-87.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$14.68 A$20.96

-33.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

$5.09 A$7.26

-68.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$5.59 A$7.99

-50.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$3.51 A$5.02

-85.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$3.89 A$5.55

22.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$1.75 A$2.50

85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$31.75 A$45.35

-83.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$1.26 A$1.80

21.43%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$28.8K A$41.2K

-26.41%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$34.0K A$48.6K

-31.66%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$223 A$319

-62.58%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$29.26 A$41.79

-20.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$54.7 A$78.1

-49.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$48.98 A$70.0

15.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$17.13 A$24.46

-70.81%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$1,998 A$2,854

-89.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$18.5K A$26.5K

-71.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$78.7 A$112

-44.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$54.8 A$78.3

-22.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$105 A$150

-30.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$127 A$181

-30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,153 A$1,646

-13.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$811 A$1,158

-52.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$1,623 A$2,317

3.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,137 A$1,624

-4.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$6,723 A$9,601

-87.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Launceston: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Launceston

$811 41% 112% $429

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Launceston

$322 16.3% 25% $64

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Launceston

$266 13.4% 32.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Launceston

$307 15.5% 129% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Launceston

$165 8.3% 48% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Launceston

$83 4.2% 25.3% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Launceston

$27 * 1.4% 47.1% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,153 in Launceston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Launceston pays about 9.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $73 in Launceston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $322 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Launceston

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

22:31 10:31 PM

16 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

80,943

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Launceston 14,460 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Launceston

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 Launceston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Launceston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 89% 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 $1,153 in Launceston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Launceston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,980 in Launceston – Playa del Carmen is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,980 in Launceston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Launceston. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Launceston on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.