Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Masterton

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $841 in Masterton.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Masterton $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,446 in Masterton.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Masterton $1,446

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,051 in Masterton.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Masterton $2,051

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 43% more expensive than in Masterton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Masterton 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$9.26 NZ$16.44

17.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$65.0 NZ$115

-33.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.77 NZ$15.58

34.32%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.35 NZ$5.95

13.73%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.95 NZ$3.46

-34.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.11 NZ$1.97

-29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.96 NZ$7.04

-19.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.40 NZ$6.04

45.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.46 NZ$2.59

-3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.13 NZ$3.77

4.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.10 NZ$1.95

29.09%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$6.49 NZ$11.51

-61.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.59 NZ$15.25

-15.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.94 NZ$17.65

-22.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$15.03 NZ$26.69

-15.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.22 NZ$3.93

25.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.81 NZ$3.21

-24.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.04 NZ$5.40

-16.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.48 NZ$7.95

-52.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.51 NZ$2.69

28.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.09 NZ$1.94

73.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.71 NZ$3.04

-32.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.52 NZ$0.93

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$19.90 NZ$35.33

-78.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.48 NZ$20.39

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.88 NZ$1.56

79.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.22 NZ$2.17

118.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$2.23 NZ$3.97

-75.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.89 NZ$3.36

162.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.80 NZ$3.20

85.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$33.98 NZ$60.3

-84.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.73 NZ$3.08

-16.76%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

-9.62%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

-1.71%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$56.0 NZ$99.5

51.33%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$29.91 NZ$53.1

-21.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$53.4 NZ$94.8

-46.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$42.36 NZ$75.2

34.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$8.22 NZ$14.59

251.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$9.47 NZ$16.81

-45.72%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$1,038 NZ$1,844

-80.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

-70.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$56.7 NZ$101

-23.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$28.47 NZ$50.6

45.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$105 NZ$186

-29.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$141 NZ$250

-36.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,019 NZ$1,809

67.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,339 NZ$4,152

-68.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.39

112.43%

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 Masterton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Masterton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Masterton

$293 34.8% 14.9% $38

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Masterton

$179 21.3% 11.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Masterton

$139 16.6% 1.8% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Masterton

$149 17.7% 33.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Masterton

$61 7.3% 8.9% $6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Masterton

$20 * 2.4% 60.7% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays about 3.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $65 in Masterton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $293 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 Masterton

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

26,800

💱 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 2, 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 2, 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 Masterton 12,080 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Masterton

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 Masterton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $841 in Masterton – Masterton is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $841 in Masterton versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton 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.