Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Palmerston North Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Palmerston North

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 10.3% cheaper than Palmerston North without rent, and 24.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 32.9% cheaper than Palmerston North without rent, and 17.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$16.86 NZ$27.81
-28.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$72.1 NZ$119
-41.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$12.27 NZ$20.23
-14.67%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.44 NZ$5.67
4.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$2.37 NZ$3.91
-39.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$2.08 NZ$3.43
-57.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$7.32 NZ$12.07
-57.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$6.32 NZ$10.42
-27.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.92 NZ$3.16
-28.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$2.05 NZ$3.39
-9.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.81 NZ$2.99
-13.26%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$5.41 NZ$8.92
-52.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$8.35 NZ$13.77
3.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$9.37 NZ$15.46
-8.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$12.3 NZ$20.28
-10.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.52 NZ$4.16
7.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.81 NZ$2.99
-16.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.56 NZ$4.22
-26.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$3.41 NZ$5.63
-35.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.17 NZ$3.57
-13.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.18 NZ$3.59
0.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$2.14 NZ$3.53
-50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1 NZ$1.66
9.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$20.09 NZ$33.14
-80.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$8.77 NZ$14.47
1.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.46 NZ$4.06
-30.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$5.25 NZ$8.66
-50.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$4.64 NZ$7.65
-88.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$30.49 NZ$50.3
-12.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$2.36 NZ$3.89
37.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.8 NZ$2.97
32.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$17.23 NZ$28.42
-81.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.65 NZ$2.73
-20.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$18.8K NZ$31K
61.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$21.6K NZ$35.7K
10.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$89.5 NZ$148
-5.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$38 NZ$62.7
-41.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$48.26 NZ$79.6
-37.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$35 NZ$57.7
48.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$12.95 NZ$21.37
44.56%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$8.9 NZ$14.68
-43.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$999 NZ$1,648
-79.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,262 NZ$10.3K
-14.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$56.2 NZ$92.7
-36.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$38.3 NZ$63.2
3.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$92.6 NZ$153
-14.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$93.4 NZ$154
-5.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$836 NZ$1,379
15.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$695 NZ$1,146
-31.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,565 NZ$2,581
5.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$1,386 NZ$2,286
-13.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,102 NZ$3,466
46.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$2,444 NZ$4,032
208.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$2,487 NZ$4,101
-68.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.69
70.70%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Palmerston North: October 29, 2025

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