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 14.2% cheaper than Palmerston North without rent, and 26.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 24.4% cheaper than Palmerston North without rent, and 18.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$16.75 NZ$28.47
-30.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$72.7 NZ$124
-41.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$12.19 NZ$20.73
-13.04%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$3.53 NZ$6.00
1.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$2.29 NZ$3.90
-36.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$2.15 NZ$3.65
-58.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$7.11 NZ$12.10
-57.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$6.32 NZ$10.74
-27.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.91 NZ$3.24
-24.08%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$2.10 NZ$3.57
-12.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.77 NZ$3.02
-9.04%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$5.31 NZ$9.03
-52.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$7.93 NZ$13.48
7.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$9.26 NZ$15.75
-8.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$12.17 NZ$20.70
-10.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.45 NZ$4.16
11.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.89 NZ$3.21
-21.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$2.44 NZ$4.14
-20.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$3.49 NZ$5.94
-38.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$2.12 NZ$3.61
-12.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$2.16 NZ$3.67
1.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$2.07 NZ$3.52
-48.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.98 NZ$1.66
10.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$20.55 NZ$34.93
-80.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$9.07 NZ$15.42
15.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$2.53 NZ$4.29
-34.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$5.47 NZ$9.30
-53.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$4.63 NZ$7.86
-87.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$29.84 NZ$50.7
-12.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$2.44 NZ$4.15
28.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$1.87 NZ$3.18
26.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$16.86 NZ$28.67
-80.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.73 NZ$2.94
-24.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$18.8K NZ$32.0K
62.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$21.4K NZ$36.4K
11.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$88.0 NZ$150
-5.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$36.87 NZ$62.7
-39.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$47.64 NZ$81.0
-38.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$35.20 NZ$59.9
45.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$13.28 NZ$22.58
40.74%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$9.16 NZ$15.57
-46.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$995 NZ$1,692
-80.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$6,171 NZ$10.5K
-15.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$57.1 NZ$97.0
-37.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$38.08 NZ$64.7
3.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$90.5 NZ$154
-11.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$93.4 NZ$159
-6.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$841 NZ$1,429
14.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$688 NZ$1,170
-29.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$1,546 NZ$2,628
6.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$1,366 NZ$2,322
-12.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$2,184 NZ$3,713
81.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$1,910 NZ$3,246
241.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Palmerston North
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$2,576 NZ$4,380
-71.81%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: April 13, 2026

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

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