Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rolleston

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,142 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Rolleston

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,142 in Rolleston, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Rolleston $1,142

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,160 in Rolleston, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Rolleston $2,160

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,178 in Rolleston, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Rolleston $3,178

Playa del Carmen costs about 6% more than Rolleston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rolleston are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Rolleston 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$14.22 NZ$25.14

-24.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$68.1 NZ$120

-36.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$8.79 NZ$15.54

34.13%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.28 NZ$5.81

17.99%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-35.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.76 NZ$3.12

-52.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$6.62 NZ$11.70

-53.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$6.18 NZ$10.93

-17.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.65 NZ$2.92

-12.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.81 NZ$3.19

23.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.50 NZ$2.66

-2.00%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$5.66 NZ$10.02

-55.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$7.09 NZ$12.53

2.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$9.38 NZ$16.58

-16.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$13.71 NZ$24.25

-6.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.57 NZ$4.55

12.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.32 NZ$4.11

-37.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.73 NZ$4.82

-6.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$5.10 NZ$9.01

-59.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.79 NZ$3.16

11.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.45 NZ$2.57

38.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.29 NZ$4.05

-48.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.59 NZ$1.05

113.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$23.39 NZ$41.36

-81.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$8.16 NZ$14.43

17.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$3.33 NZ$5.89

-52.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.30 NZ$5.83

-14.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.14 NZ$2.02

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.44 NZ$4.32

104.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.71 NZ$3.02

104.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$27.51 NZ$48.65

-80.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.74 NZ$3.07

-15.52%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$24.8K NZ$43.8K

-15.34%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$24.0K NZ$42.5K

-0.41%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$108 NZ$191

-22.09%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$22.38 NZ$39.58

7.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$45.15 NZ$79.9

-35.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$10.08 NZ$17.82

-50.99%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$341 NZ$602

-40.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,755 NZ$11.9K

-41.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$57.5 NZ$102

-24.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$35.21 NZ$62.3

22.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$89.5 NZ$158

-15.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$122 NZ$215

-27.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$278 NZ$491

263.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$254 NZ$449

47.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,025 NZ$1,813

66.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,082 NZ$1,914

2.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,022 NZ$3,576

95.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,805 NZ$3,192

241.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$4,358 NZ$7,707

-82.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.91

93.74%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rolleston: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Rolleston

$254 22.2% 32.2% $120

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Rolleston

$300 26.3% 16% $41

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Rolleston

$241 21.1% 18.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Rolleston

$176 15.4% 28% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Rolleston

$137 12% 21% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Rolleston

$20 * 1.8% 72.3% $53

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4% 70.4% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $278 in Rolleston. 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 478% higher in Rolleston, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $68.0 in Rolleston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $300 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

28,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rolleston 12,400 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rolleston

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 Rolleston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,713 in Rolleston. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rolleston, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,142 in Rolleston. That's a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $341 in Rolleston. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rolleston, where all-in costs run around $1,142, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Rolleston it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rolleston – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rolleston. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.