Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Manukau

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,914 in Manukau, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,914 in Manukau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Manukau $1,914

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,853 in Manukau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Manukau $2,853

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,792 in Manukau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Manukau $3,792

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

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Manukau is 41% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$12.06 NZ$21.42

-9.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$68.0 NZ$121

-36.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.28 NZ$14.71

42.27%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.48 NZ$6.19

9.48%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.04 NZ$3.63

-37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.74 NZ$3.08

-55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$6.22 NZ$11.05

-49.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.62 NZ$9.98

-12.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.44 NZ$2.56

-2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.30 NZ$2.31

70.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.90 NZ$3.37

-25.26%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$5.26 NZ$9.34

-52.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$5.52 NZ$9.80

31.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.46 NZ$13.24

3.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.96 NZ$21.23

6.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.57 NZ$4.55

8.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.16 NZ$3.84

-36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.97 NZ$5.27

-14.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$5.72 NZ$10.16

-62.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.09 NZ$3.70

-7.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.43 NZ$2.55

32.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-42.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.91 NZ$1.62

29.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$25.51 NZ$45.30

-83.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.51 NZ$18.65

-5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.84 NZ$5.04

-44.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.32 NZ$5.90

-19.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-70.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$111 NZ$197

-76.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.28 NZ$4.05

117.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.94 NZ$3.45

71.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$32.50 NZ$57.7

-83.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-16.28%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$27.3K NZ$48.4K

-24.22%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

7.44%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$58.0 NZ$103

46.21%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$26.67 NZ$47.35

-12.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$50.8 NZ$90.3

-43.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$43.35 NZ$77.0

31.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$12.35 NZ$21.92

-58.38%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$687 NZ$1,220

-69.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

-79.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$62.3 NZ$111

-30.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$38.79 NZ$68.9

6.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$92.4 NZ$164

-19.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$112 NZ$198

-20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,036 NZ$1,840

-5.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$940 NZ$1,669

-59.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,640 NZ$2,912

4.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,494 NZ$2,653

-28.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,976 NZ$8,834

-20.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$3,073 NZ$5,457

100.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,825 NZ$3,239

-59.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.9

94.07%

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 Manukau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Manukau

$940 49.1% 147% $559

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Manukau

$282 14.7% 10.7% $27

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Manukau

$221 11.5% 9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Manukau

$136 7.1% 1% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Manukau

$137 7.2% 22.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Manukau

$68 3.6% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Manukau

$131 6.8% 159% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,036 in Manukau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Manukau are about 2.5 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 $68 in Manukau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $282 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 Manukau

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

04:58 4:58 AM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

362,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Manukau 12,080 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Manukau

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 Manukau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,914 in Manukau – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,871 in Manukau. 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 $1,036 in Manukau. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Manukau, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $68 in Manukau. 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 Manukau at $1,914. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manukau 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.

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