Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Douglas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,579 in Port Douglas, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Port Douglas
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Port Douglas Living Index
57

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

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Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,579

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port Douglas and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,579 per month in Port Douglas vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Douglas $2,579
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,766 per month in Port Douglas vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Douglas $3,766
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,952 per month in Port Douglas vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Douglas $4,952
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Port Douglas costs about 114% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Port Douglas sits 91% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.40 A$24.85

$10.67 MX$198

63.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.7 A$138

$43.80 MX$813

120.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.54 A$17.91

$11.79 MX$219

6.36%

Cappuccino

$4.31 A$6.16

$3.79 MX$70.3

13.72%

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

$3.20 A$4.57

$1.30 MX$24.09

146.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 A$3.94

$0.83 MX$15.48

232.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 A$9.72

$3.15 MX$58.4

116.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 A$12.29

$4.93 MX$91.6

74.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 A$2.66

$1.41 MX$26.16

31.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 A$3.78

$2.20 MX$40.77

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.68

$1.47 MX$27.35

74.83%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.67

$2.50 MX$46.37

114.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 A$13.08

$7.29 MX$135

25.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.75 A$19.64

$7.95 MX$148

72.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 A$21.52

$12.86 MX$239

17.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$2.90 MX$53.8

40.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.04

$1.38 MX$25.69

105.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.07

$2.49 MX$46.26

42.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.97 A$8.52

$2.03 MX$37.70

194.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.02 MX$37.61

22.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 A$3.73

$1.90 MX$35.35

37.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 A$3.93

$1.14 MX$21.25

141.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 A$3.75

$1.24 MX$23.01

111.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.42 A$63.4

$4.27 MX$79.3

940.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.14 A$20.20

$9.81 MX$182

44.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 A$5.05

$1.59 MX$29.45

122.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 A$7.43

$2.75 MX$51.0

89.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 A$3.98

$0.51 MX$9.56

447.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.0 A$121

$27.39 MX$509

210.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 A$3.71

$4.76 MX$88.4

-45.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 A$2.82

$3.25 MX$60.3

-39.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.92 A$61.3

$5.39 MX$100

696.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.83

$1.53 MX$28.38

-16.34%

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

$28.9K A$41.3K

$21.2K MX$393.9K

36.19%

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

$31.4K A$44.8K

$23.3K MX$432.0K

34.92%

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

$161 A$230

$83.5 MX$1,550

92.56%

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

$35.46 A$50.7

$23.19 MX$431

52.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.5 A$93.6

$27.61 MX$513

137.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 A$78.6

$56.4 MX$1,048

-2.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 A$25.49

$28.19 MX$524

-36.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.76 A$19.65

$5.00 MX$92.9

175.20%

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

$2,120 A$3,027

$207 MX$3,846

923.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K A$20.2K

$5,231 MX$97.1K

170.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 A$131

$43.45 MX$807

110.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.5 A$104

$42.54 MX$790

70.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 A$178

$72.8 MX$1,351

71.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$185

$88.4 MX$1,641

46.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,999

$995 MX$18.5K

40.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,747

$382 MX$7,102

219.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,296 A$3,278

$1,674 MX$31.1K

37.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 A$2,576

$1,081 MX$20.1K

66.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,744 A$8,202

$3,909 MX$72.6K

46.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,972 A$7,100

$6,138 MX$114.0K

-19.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

11.45

-44.80%

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

Last update for Port Douglas: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Douglas

$1.2K 47.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.7% $841

Groceries & Markets

Port Douglas

$411 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 37.4% $154

Eating Out

Port Douglas

$304 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 34.1% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Douglas

$262 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 48.7% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Port Douglas

$188 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 40.9% $77

Getting Around

Port Douglas

$109 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 53.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Port Douglas

$83 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 19.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,400 in Port Douglas versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $97 in Port Douglas versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Douglas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

15 h behind Port Douglas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Douglas Playa del Carmen 14,480 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Douglas
Playa del Carmen

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

Port Douglas vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port Douglas is pricier by about 114%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,869 per month in Port Douglas and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,400 in Port Douglas.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,579 in Port Douglas and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 53% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 68% 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 $1,202, than in Port Douglas at $2,579. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Douglas 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 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.