Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Surfers Paradise Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Surfers Paradise

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 18.9% cheaper than Surfers Paradise without rent, and 34% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 43.2% cheaper than Surfers Paradise without rent, and 30.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Surfers Paradise
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$15.97 A$24.46
-24.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$94.1 A$144
-54.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$9.69 A$14.84
8.05%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.55 A$5.44
1.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$2.67 A$4.09
-46.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$2.23 A$3.42
-60.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$6.62 A$10.14
-53.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$8.01 A$12.27
-42.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Surfers Paradise
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.61 A$2.46
-14.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$2.2 A$3.37
-15.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$2.26 A$3.46
-30.53%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$4.32 A$6.61
-40.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$8.19 A$12.55
5.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$8.25 A$12.63
3.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$13.52 A$20.71
-18.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.49 A$5.34
-22.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$2.69 A$4.13
-43.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$3.5 A$5.36
-46.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$3.95 A$6.05
-44.56%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.5 A$3.83
-25.20%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.42 A$3.71
-9.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$2.22 A$3.4
-51.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$1.26 A$1.92
-13.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$32.01 A$49.04
-87.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$13.36 A$20.47
-33.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$6.17 A$9.46
-72.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$4.22 A$6.47
-38.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Surfers Paradise
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$2.06 A$3.16
-74.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$32.11 A$49.19
-17.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$2.07 A$3.17
56.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.39 A$2.14
71.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$33.31 A$51
-90.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.19 A$1.82
10.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$29.5K A$45.1K
2.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$22.3K A$34.1K
7.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Surfers Paradise
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$210 A$322
-59.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$31.1 A$47.64
-28.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$53 A$81.1
-43.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Surfers Paradise
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$61.8 A$94.7
-15.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$13.56 A$20.78
38.05%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$13.16 A$20.16
-61.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Surfers Paradise
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$1,639 A$2,511
-87.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$8,901 A$13.6K
-40.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Surfers Paradise
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$70.8 A$109
-49.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$48.77 A$74.7
-18.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$94.5 A$145
-16.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$102 A$156
-13.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Surfers Paradise
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$1,278 A$1,958
-24.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$716 A$1,097
-33.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$2,443 A$3,743
-32.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$1,771 A$2,713
-32.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$5,561 A$8,520
-44.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$4,704 A$7,206
60.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Surfers Paradise
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$3,095 A$4,742
-74.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.3
81.27%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 28, 2025

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