Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mudgee

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,667 in Mudgee, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Mudgee, Australia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Mudgee
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,667
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,667 in Mudgee.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Mudgee $2,667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,586 in Mudgee.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Mudgee $3,586

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,505 in Mudgee.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Mudgee $4,505

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 55% less than in Mudgee, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Mudgee is 96% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Mudgee
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$16.96 A$24.09
-35.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$83.9 A$119
-48.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$9.39 A$13.34
25.45%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$3.58 A$5.08
6.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$2.44 A$3.46
-47.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$2.08 A$2.96
-62.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$7.11 A$10.11
-55.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$7.12 A$10.12
-30.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Mudgee
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.16 A$1.64
21.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$2.86 A$4.07
-22.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$2.11 A$3.00
-32.70%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$4.00 A$5.68
-37.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$8.60 A$12.21
-15.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$7.39 A$10.50
4.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$8.61 A$12.23
47.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$2.95 A$4.19
-5.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$2.48 A$3.53
-44.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$3.35 A$4.76
-23.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$4.09 A$5.82
-48.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$2.32 A$3.30
-16.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$2.56 A$3.64
-26.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$2.60 A$3.70
-55.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$1.82 A$2.59
-35.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$45.13 A$64.1
-90.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$14.14 A$20.09
-29.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$4.50 A$6.39
-64.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$4.11 A$5.84
-35.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Mudgee
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$2.64 A$3.75
-79.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$74.3 A$106
-64.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$3.55 A$5.04
40.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$1.62 A$2.29
105.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$44.92 A$63.8
-88.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$1.31 A$1.87
9.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$28.9K A$41.1K
-28.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$24.4K A$34.6K
-3.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Mudgee
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$235 A$334
-63.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$32.19 A$45.74
-27.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$50.6 A$71.9
-43.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Mudgee
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$57.2 A$81.2
-0.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$16.99 A$24.14
70.16%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$13.36 A$18.98
-61.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Mudgee
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$2,201 A$3,128
-90.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$19.3K A$27.5K
-79.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Mudgee
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$69.9 A$99.3
-37.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$63.2 A$89.8
-34.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$142 A$202
-47.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$111 A$158
-19.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Mudgee
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$1,530 A$2,175
-35.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$1,400 A$1,989
-72.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$2,409 A$3,423
-29.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$1,704 A$2,422
-36.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$6,701 A$9,522
-41.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$4,720 A$6,707
30.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Mudgee
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
$5,594 A$7,949
-86.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5
129.00%

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 Mudgee: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Mudgee
$1.4K 268% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Mudgee
$320 25.6% $65
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Mudgee
$275 35.7% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Mudgee
$318 132% $181
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Mudgee
$174 55.7% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Mudgee
$84 24.6% $17
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Mudgee
$97 91.3% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,530 in Mudgee. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mudgee pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $84 in Mudgee for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $320 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇦🇺 Mudgee
🕒 Local time
17:10 5:10 PM
09:10 9:10 AM
16 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
11,563
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Mudgee 14,290 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Mudgee

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 Mudgee: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Mudgee?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Mudgee. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Playa del Carmen or in Mudgee?
On paper, salaries run 87% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Mudgee?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,530 in Mudgee. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Mudgee?
All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,667 in Mudgee – Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Mudgee?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 64% less than in Mudgee. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Mudgee?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,667 in Mudgee, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mudgee. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Mudgee?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Mudgee. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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