Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,459 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,459 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Port Moresby $1,459

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,302 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Port Moresby $2,302

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,146 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Port Moresby $3,146

Playa del Carmen is about 18% cheaper than Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Port Moresby is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$7.85 PGK 33.96

35.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$44.10 PGK 191

-0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$5.64 PGK 24.39

109.04%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$2.46 PGK 10.62

54.07%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$0.78 PGK 3.36

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$0.64 PGK 2.77

29.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$2.93 PGK 12.69

7.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$3.62 PGK 15.66

36.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.90 PGK 8.23

-25.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$1.51 PGK 6.51

45.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.42 PGK 6.13

3.52%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$3.62 PGK 15.68

-30.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.78 PGK 37.95

-16.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$5.13 PGK 22.18

54.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$9.91 PGK 42.87

29.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$4.36 PGK 18.84

-33.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$3.24 PGK 14.01

-57.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$7.25 PGK 31.37

-65.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$6.37 PGK 27.56

-68.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$2.94 PGK 12.72

-31.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$2.84 PGK 12.29

-33.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$2.27 PGK 9.83

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$1.34 PGK 5.80

-7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$6.40 PGK 27.67

-33.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$10.90 PGK 47.15

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$2.66 PGK 11.49

-40.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$3.47 PGK 15.02

-20.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$0.44 PGK 1.89

15.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$25.01 PGK 108

9.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$4.92 PGK 21.26

-3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$1.47 PGK 6.34

121.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$14.30 PGK 61.9

-62.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.04 PGK 4.48

47.12%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$50.2K PGK 217.2K

-57.77%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$17.5K PGK 75.9K

32.59%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$120 PGK 517

-30.15%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$20.89 PGK 90.4

11.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$83.4 PGK 361

-66.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$61.2 PGK 264

-7.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$22.28 PGK 96.4

26.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$8.89 PGK 38.45

-43.76%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$570 PGK 2,465

-63.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$8,351 PGK 36.1K

-37.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$35.01 PGK 151

24.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$35.81 PGK 155

18.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$68.8 PGK 298

5.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$97.9 PGK 423

-9.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$1,505 PGK 6,508

-33.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$553 PGK 2,392

-30.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$2,858 PGK 12.4K

-41.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$1,167 PGK 5,045

-7.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$2,098 PGK 9,072

86.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$3,757 PGK 16.2K

63.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$430 PGK 1,860

93.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.17

-5.92%

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 Moresby: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Port Moresby

$553 37.9% 44.7% $171

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Port Moresby

$320 21.9% 24.2% $62

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Port Moresby

$137 9.4% 31.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Port Moresby

$224 15.4% 66.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Port Moresby

$107 7.3% 3.9% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Port Moresby

$79 5.4% 18.8% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Port Moresby

$39 2.7% 22.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,505 in Port Moresby. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 94% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Port Moresby. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $320 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

03:42 3:42 AM

15 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 PGK = 0.231 USD

1 PGK = 0.206 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.32 PGK (1 PGK = 0.231 USD). 1 EUR = 4.86 PGK (1 PGK = 0.206 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Port Moresby 14,090 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Port Moresby

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 Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port Moresby is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,188 in Port Moresby. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,505 in Port Moresby.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,459 in Port Moresby. That makes Playa del Carmen about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $570 in Port Moresby. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.