Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mount Isa

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,519 in Mount Isa, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Mount Isa
Learn more

Mount Isa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Mount Isa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,519 in Mount Isa.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Mount Isa $2,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,619 in Mount Isa.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mount Isa $3,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,719 in Mount Isa.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Mount Isa $4,719

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 52% less than in Mount Isa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Mount Isa is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$17.36 A$25.05

-38.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$84.2 A$121

-47.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$10.65 A$15.36

10.70%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$3.91 A$5.65

-3.07%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$2.80 A$4.04

-53.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$2.25 A$3.25

-63.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$7.83 A$11.29

-59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$7.71 A$11.12

-36.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.52 A$2.19

-7.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$2.65 A$3.82

-16.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$2.21 A$3.19

-33.48%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$4.82 A$6.95

-48.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$9.18 A$13.24

-20.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$9.09 A$13.12

-12.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$14.97 A$21.60

-14.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$3.85 A$5.56

-24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$3.09 A$4.46

-55.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$3.24 A$4.67

-23.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$4.70 A$6.77

-56.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$2.72 A$3.92

-25.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$2.38 A$3.43

-20.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$2.40 A$3.47

-52.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.55 A$2.23

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$42.83 A$61.8

-90.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$14.25 A$20.55

-31.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$4.76 A$6.86

-66.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$5.29 A$7.64

-48.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$2.70 A$3.90

-81.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$84.1 A$121

-67.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$3.59 A$5.18

32.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$1.65 A$2.38

96.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$40.77 A$58.8

-86.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$1.32 A$1.91

15.91%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$29.7K A$42.9K

-28.65%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$25.9K A$37.4K

-10.20%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$205 A$296

-59.27%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$27.82 A$40.14

-16.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$57.0 A$82.3

-51.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$55.6 A$80.1

1.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$18.03 A$26.01

56.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$13.96 A$20.14

-64.18%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$2,165 A$3,123

-90.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$20.2K A$29.1K

-74.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$77.7 A$112

-44.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$54.8 A$79.1

-22.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$109 A$158

-33.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$123 A$178

-28.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$1,416 A$2,043

-29.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$1,217 A$1,755

-68.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$2,259 A$3,258

-25.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$1,798 A$2,594

-39.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$5,881 A$8,483

-33.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$5,029 A$7,255

22.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$4,453 A$6,424

-81.31%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mount Isa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Mount Isa

$1.2K 48.3% 218% $834

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Mount Isa

$366 14.5% 42.1% $108

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Mount Isa

$293 11.6% 46.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Mount Isa

$290 11.5% 116% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Mount Isa

$164 6.5% 47.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Mount Isa

$83 3.3% 25.6% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mount Isa

$107 4.2% 112% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,416 in Mount Isa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Isa pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $84 in Mount Isa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $366 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇺 Mount Isa

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

17:43 5:43 PM

15 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,936

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mount Isa 15,190 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mount Isa

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 Mount Isa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Mount Isa. 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 81% 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,416 in Mount Isa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,165 in Mount Isa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Mount Isa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,519 in Mount Isa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mount Isa. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Mount Isa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.