Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Timaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,992 in Timaru, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
Learn more

Timaru Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,992 in Timaru, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Timaru $1,992

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,048 in Timaru, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Timaru $3,048

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,104 in Timaru, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Timaru $4,104

Playa del Carmen is about 40% cheaper than Timaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Timaru is 46% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$14.41 NZ$25.59

-24.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$61.3 NZ$109

-29.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.87 NZ$19.29

8.37%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.29 NZ$5.84

15.81%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.13 NZ$3.78

-39.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-56.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$5.70 NZ$10.11

-44.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.12 NZ$10.86

-19.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.15 NZ$2.04

22.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.79 NZ$3.17

24.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.12 NZ$1.99

26.79%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$5.98 NZ$10.61

-57.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.28 NZ$14.70

-12.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.21 NZ$16.35

-16.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$16.69 NZ$29.62

-23.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.93 NZ$5.21

-5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.42 NZ$4.29

-43.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-19.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$5.25 NZ$9.32

-59.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.86 NZ$3.30

4.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.85 NZ$3.29

2.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-50.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.55 NZ$0.98

114.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$21.06 NZ$37.40

-79.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$5.57 NZ$9.90

78.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.26 NZ$2.23

111.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.94 NZ$3.45

-71.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$110 NZ$196

-75.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.23 NZ$3.97

122.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.79 NZ$3.17

86.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$28.93 NZ$51.4

-81.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.56 NZ$2.76

-7.69%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-27.44%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$22.9K NZ$40.7K

2.26%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$113 NZ$201

-25.05%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$22.85 NZ$40.58

2.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$52.5 NZ$93.2

-45.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$39.92 NZ$70.9

42.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$11.39 NZ$20.22

-54.87%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$590 NZ$1,047

-64.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$16.1K NZ$28.5K

-75.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$59.4 NZ$106

-27.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$35.10 NZ$62.3

18.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$91.0 NZ$162

-18.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$137 NZ$244

-34.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,108 NZ$1,968

-11.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$921 NZ$1,635

-58.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,790 NZ$3,179

-4.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,674 NZ$2,972

-35.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,547 NZ$8,073

-13.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$2,866 NZ$5,088

114.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.07

61.95%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Timaru

$921 46.2% 142% $540

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Timaru

$302 15.1% 18.3% $47

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Timaru

$244 12.2% 20.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Timaru

$188 9.5% 37.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Timaru

$145 7.3% 30% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Timaru

$63 3.2% 6.8% $4.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Timaru

$129 6.5% 156% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,108 in Timaru. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $61 in Timaru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $302 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

28,600

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Timaru 12,500 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Timaru

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 Timaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Timaru is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,987 in Timaru. 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 $980 there versus $1,108 in Timaru.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,992 in Timaru. That makes Playa del Carmen about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Timaru at $1,992. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Timaru it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.