Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and North Shore

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,123 in North Shore, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in North Shore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,123 in North Shore.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
North Shore $2,123

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,945 in North Shore.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
North Shore $2,945

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,766 in North Shore.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
North Shore $3,766

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 43% less than in North Shore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, North Shore is 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.99 NZ$24.87

-21.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$75.3 NZ$134

-42.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.51 NZ$15.12

38.43%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.44 NZ$6.11

10.76%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-35.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$6.68 NZ$11.87

-52.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.77 NZ$10.26

-14.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.62 NZ$2.88

-12.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.34 NZ$2.38

65.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-21.98%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$5.76 NZ$10.24

-56.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.01 NZ$14.24

-9.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$10.01 NZ$17.79

-23.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$11.77 NZ$20.93

7.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.68 NZ$4.77

3.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-35.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$3.16 NZ$5.62

-19.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$6.03 NZ$10.72

-64.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.08 NZ$3.69

-6.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.52 NZ$2.70

24.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.50 NZ$4.44

-54.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.93 NZ$1.65

26.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$25.31 NZ$44.98

-83.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.50 NZ$18.66

-5.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.74 NZ$4.88

-42.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.29 NZ$5.85

-18.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-76.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$61.4 NZ$109

-56.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.31 NZ$4.11

115.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.97 NZ$3.51

69.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$32.86 NZ$58.4

-83.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.74 NZ$3.09

-17.24%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$26.9K NZ$47.8K

-23.11%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

6.10%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$182 NZ$323

-53.36%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$26.22 NZ$46.61

-10.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$51.4 NZ$91.3

-44.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$27.58 NZ$49.02

106.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$12.07 NZ$21.45

-57.42%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$686 NZ$1,220

-69.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$14.5K NZ$25.9K

-73.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$69.1 NZ$123

-37.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$37.67 NZ$67.0

10.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$95.3 NZ$169

-22.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$107 NZ$191

-16.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,328 NZ$2,361

-26.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$1,042 NZ$1,851

-63.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,240 NZ$3,983

-23.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,326 NZ$2,356

-18.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

-46.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

1.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,856 NZ$5,077

-74.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.63

72.70%

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 North Shore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

North Shore

$1K 49% 174% $661

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

North Shore

$310 14.6% 21.6% $55

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

North Shore

$239 11.3% 18.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

North Shore

$259 12.2% 89.6% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

North Shore

$139 6.6% 24.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

North Shore

$52 2.4% 23.2% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

North Shore

$83 3.9% 64.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,328 in North Shore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Shore pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $75 in North Shore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $310 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 North Shore

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

18:44 6:44 PM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

258,697

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 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 →

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Playa del Carmen North Shore 12,070 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
North Shore

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 North Shore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,123 in North Shore, so Playa del Carmen is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,328 in North Shore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $75 in North Shore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,123 in North Shore – Playa del Carmen is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,123 in North Shore, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in North Shore. 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 43% less than in North Shore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.