Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Papamoa Beach Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Papamoa Beach

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 21.7% cheaper than Papamoa Beach without rent, and 33.7% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 44.3% cheaper than Papamoa Beach without rent, and 21.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Papamoa Beach
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$14.88 NZ$24.55
-19.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$77.8 NZ$128
-45.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$9.78 NZ$16.13
7.06%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.5 NZ$5.78
2.86%
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
$2.22 NZ$3.65
-59.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$7.17 NZ$11.82
-56.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$7.03 NZ$11.6
-34.85%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Papamoa Beach
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.81 NZ$2.99
-23.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.08 NZ$1.78
71.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$2.01 NZ$3.31
-21.89%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$6.96 NZ$11.48
-63.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$8.57 NZ$14.14
0.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$9.62 NZ$15.87
-11.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$13.07 NZ$21.56
-15.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.84 NZ$4.68
-4.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$2.27 NZ$3.74
-33.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$3.37 NZ$5.56
-44.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$4 NZ$6.59
-45.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.02 NZ$3.33
-7.43%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.72 NZ$2.83
27.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.9 NZ$3.14
-43.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1.25 NZ$2.06
-12.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$25.39 NZ$41.88
-84.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$11.55 NZ$19.04
-23.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.96 NZ$4.89
-41.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$3.89 NZ$6.42
-32.90%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Papamoa Beach
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$2.12 NZ$3.5
-75.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$64.2 NZ$106
-58.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$2.16 NZ$3.55
50.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.92 NZ$3.16
23.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$35.73 NZ$58.9
-91.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.62 NZ$2.67
-19.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$28.7K NZ$47.3K
5.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$22K NZ$36.4K
8.86%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Papamoa Beach
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$143 NZ$235
-41.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$29.91 NZ$49.34
-25.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$49.52 NZ$81.7
-39.14%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Papamoa Beach
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$36.13 NZ$59.6
43.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$11.94 NZ$19.69
56.78%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$15.27 NZ$25.19
-66.80%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Papamoa Beach
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$891 NZ$1,470
-77.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$13.4K NZ$22.1K
-60.26%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Papamoa Beach
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$63.3 NZ$104
-43.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$49.73 NZ$82
-19.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$85.8 NZ$142
-7.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$121 NZ$199
-26.92%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Papamoa Beach
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$972 NZ$1,603
-0.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$798 NZ$1,316
-40.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,580 NZ$2,606
4.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$1,438 NZ$2,372
-16.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$4,392 NZ$7,244
-29.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$3,700 NZ$6,102
103.50%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Papamoa Beach
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$1,592 NZ$2,625
-50.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.37
79.28%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Papamoa Beach: October 28, 2025

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