Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mackay

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,209 in Mackay, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
Learn more

Mackay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,209 in Mackay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mackay $2,209

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,489 in Mackay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mackay $3,489

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,769 in Mackay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mackay $4,769

Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper than Mackay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Mackay is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$17.22 A$24.47

-36.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$75.8 A$108

-42.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$12.42 A$17.65

-5.15%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.30 A$6.11

-11.40%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$3.39 A$4.82

-62.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$2.74 A$3.89

-71.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$6.97 A$9.90

-54.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$6.87 A$9.76

-28.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.90 A$2.70

-25.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.51 A$3.57

-11.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.82 A$4.01

-49.65%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$6.02 A$8.55

-58.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.70 A$13.78

-25.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$8.53 A$12.12

-9.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$16.45 A$23.37

-22.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.69 A$5.24

-24.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.85 A$4.05

-51.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$3.00 A$4.26

-15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$6.72 A$9.55

-68.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.53 A$3.59

-23.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.56 A$3.64

-26.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$3.24 A$4.61

-64.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$3.11 A$4.43

-62.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$44.23 A$62.8

-90.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.63 A$12.27

15.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$5.24 A$7.45

-69.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$6.05 A$8.59

-55.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.42 A$3.43

-77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$68.8 A$97.8

-61.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$5.88 A$8.35

-15.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$2.06 A$2.92

61.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$35.28 A$50.1

-84.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.27 A$1.81

13.39%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$27.1K A$38.5K

-23.81%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$35.4K A$50.4K

-33.79%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$235 A$334

-63.89%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$29.32 A$41.66

-20.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$78.9 A$112

-63.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$52.0 A$73.9

9.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$21.14 A$30.04

36.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$16.46 A$23.38

-68.77%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,860 A$2,642

-88.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$6,747 A$9,586

-41.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$71.1 A$101

-38.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$50.0 A$71.0

-17.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$123 A$174

-39.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$105 A$150

-15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$956 A$1,358

2.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$829 A$1,178

-54.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,903 A$2,704

-10.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,779 A$2,527

-39.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,115 A$4,426

26.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,763 A$2,505

249.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$5,517 A$7,839

-86.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.63

103.37%

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 Mackay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mackay

$829 37.5% 118% $449

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mackay

$400 18.1% 57.2% $146

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mackay

$300 13.6% 48.1% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mackay

$343 15.5% 151% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mackay

$157 7.1% 40.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mackay

$85 3.9% 26.2% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mackay

$95 4.3% 87.6% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $956 in Mackay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mackay are about 7.5 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 $76 in Mackay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $400 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Mackay

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

23:06 11:06 PM

15 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

80,455

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mackay 14,200 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mackay

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 Mackay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mackay is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,314 in Mackay. 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 $956 in Mackay. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Mackay, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $76 in Mackay. 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 Mackay at $2,209. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mackay 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 $2,209 in Mackay. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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