Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Port Lincoln

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,549 in Port Lincoln, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Port Lincoln, Australia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Port Lincoln
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,549
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Port Lincoln

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,549 in Port Lincoln, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Port Lincoln $2,549

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,656 in Port Lincoln, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Port Lincoln $3,656

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,764 in Port Lincoln, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Port Lincoln $4,764

Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper than Port Lincoln, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Port Lincoln is 89% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Port Lincoln
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$200
$17.39 A$25.08
-38.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$823
$84.0 A$121
-47.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$221
$10.66 A$15.37
10.60%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$71.1
$3.95 A$5.70
-4.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.36
$2.84 A$4.09
-54.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.65
$2.20 A$3.18
-62.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$59.1
$7.61 A$10.98
-58.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$7.48 A$10.78
-34.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Port Lincoln
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.46
$1.58 A$2.28
-10.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.23
$2.62 A$3.79
-16.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.66
$2.24 A$3.23
-34.38%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.89
$5.00 A$7.21
-50.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$137
$9.11 A$13.14
-19.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$149
$9.39 A$13.54
-15.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$242
$14.98 A$21.60
-14.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.4
$3.83 A$5.53
-24.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.98
$3.03 A$4.37
-54.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.78
$3.20 A$4.62
-22.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.12
$4.52 A$6.52
-55.09%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$38.03
$2.74 A$3.95
-26.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.74
$2.37 A$3.43
-19.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.49
$2.42 A$3.49
-52.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.27
$1.61 A$2.33
-22.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.2
$39.41 A$56.9
-89.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$184
$14.11 A$20.35
-30.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.78
$4.82 A$6.96
-67.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.6
$5.11 A$7.38
-46.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Port Lincoln
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.67
$2.69 A$3.88
-81.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$514
$83.3 A$120
-67.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.4
$3.58 A$5.16
32.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$61.0
$1.58 A$2.28
105.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$39.95 A$57.6
-86.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.70
$1.36 A$1.97
12.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$398.4K
$30.0K A$43.2K
-29.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$436.9K
$26.4K A$38.1K
-11.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Port Lincoln
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,568
$210 A$303
-60.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$435
$27.30 A$39.38
-15.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$519
$56.3 A$81.2
-50.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Port Lincoln
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,060
$56.7 A$81.8
-0.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$529
$17.66 A$25.48
59.63%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.9
$13.82 A$19.94
-63.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Port Lincoln
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,889
$2,154 A$3,107
-90.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$98.2K
$20.7K A$29.8K
-74.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Port Lincoln
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$816
$76.8 A$111
-43.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$799
$54.6 A$78.8
-22.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,367
$106 A$153
-31.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,660
$124 A$180
-28.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Port Lincoln
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.7K
$1,410 A$2,035
-29.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,181
$1,243 A$1,794
-69.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.4K
$2,267 A$3,270
-26.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.3K
$1,843 A$2,659
-41.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.4K
$5,761 A$8,310
-32.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$115.3K
$4,942 A$7,129
24.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Port Lincoln
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5.9
94.07%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Port Lincoln: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Port Lincoln
$1.2K 225% $861
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Port Lincoln
$367 42.8% $110
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Port Lincoln
$292 45.6% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Port Lincoln
$293 118% $159
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Port Lincoln
$163 46.3% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Port Lincoln
$84 27% $18
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Port Lincoln
$106 109% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,410 in Port Lincoln. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $84 in Port Lincoln. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $367 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇦🇺 Port Lincoln
🕒 Local time
13:10 1:10 PM
04:40 4:40 AM
15 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
14,404
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Port Lincoln 15,550 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Port Lincoln

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 Port Lincoln: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Port Lincoln?
Yes – Port Lincoln is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,823 in Port Lincoln. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,410 in Port Lincoln.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Port Lincoln?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,549 in Port Lincoln. That makes Playa del Carmen about 53% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 67% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Port Lincoln?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Port Lincoln at $2,549. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Lincoln it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Port Lincoln more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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