Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Wanaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,666 in Wanaka, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Wanaka
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Wanaka Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Wanaka

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,666 in Wanaka, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Wanaka $1,666

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,631 in Wanaka, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Wanaka $2,631

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,596 in Wanaka, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Wanaka $3,596

Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper than Wanaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Wanaka is 23% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$14.13 NZ$24.98

-23.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$56.3 NZ$99.6

-23.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$8.22 NZ$14.53

43.43%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.00 NZ$5.31

29.00%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.69 NZ$2.99

-18.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-56.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$6.53 NZ$11.56

-52.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$6.16 NZ$10.90

-17.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.14 NZ$3.78

-32.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.91 NZ$3.38

16.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.75 NZ$3.09

-16.00%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$5.93 NZ$10.49

-57.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.45 NZ$14.94

-13.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$9.37 NZ$16.57

-16.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$16.30 NZ$28.82

-21.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.00 NZ$5.30

-3.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.11 NZ$3.73

-31.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.24 NZ$5.73

-21.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$4.92 NZ$8.70

-58.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.79 NZ$3.16

11.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.81 NZ$3.21

11.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.24 NZ$3.97

-46.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.55 NZ$0.97

129.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$21.98 NZ$38.87

-79.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$9.05 NZ$16.00

5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$3.07 NZ$5.42

-48.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.24 NZ$2.20

126.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$5.66 NZ$10.01

-12.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$28.07 NZ$49.64

-80.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.80 NZ$3.18

-18.33%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

-17.97%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

-4.16%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$110 NZ$194

-23.35%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$28.11 NZ$49.71

-14.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$52.3 NZ$92.4

-44.48%

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

$10.10 NZ$17.86

-51.09%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$591 NZ$1,045

-65.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$58.6 NZ$104

-25.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$34.64 NZ$61.3

24.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$68.3 NZ$121

10.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$73.8 NZ$130

20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$970 NZ$1,716

3.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$793 NZ$1,403

-52.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,852 NZ$3,275

-7.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,595 NZ$2,821

-30.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$5,611 NZ$9,923

-29.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$4,296 NZ$7,597

-82.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

186.25%

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 Wanaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Wanaka

$793 47.6% 112% $419

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Wanaka

$318 19.1% 23% $60

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Wanaka

$233 14% 15.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Wanaka

$190 11.4% 38.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Wanaka

$106 6.4% 6.3% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Wanaka

$20 * 1.2% 72.3% $53

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Wanaka

$5.7 * 0.3% 89.2% $47

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 $970 in Wanaka. 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 470% higher in Wanaka, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $56.0 in Wanaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $318 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇿 Wanaka

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

09:26 9:26 AM

18 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,600

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Wanaka 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Wanaka

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 Wanaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wanaka is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,499 in Wanaka. 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. 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 $1,666 in Wanaka. That's a gap of about 38%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $591 in Wanaka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Wanaka at $1,666. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wanaka 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.

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