Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Hedland and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,517 in Port Hedland, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Port Hedland
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Port Hedland 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 Hedland

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,517

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Hedland 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 Hedland and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,517 per month in Port Hedland vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Hedland $2,517
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,643 per month in Port Hedland vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Hedland $3,643
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,770 per month in Port Hedland vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Hedland $4,770
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Port Hedland costs about 109% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Port Hedland sits 86% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.47 A$25.00

$10.67 MX$199

63.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$121

$43.80 MX$815

92.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 A$15.29

$11.79 MX$219

-9.41%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.79

$3.79 MX$70.5

6.86%

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

$2.93 A$4.20

$1.30 MX$24.14

125.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.28

$0.83 MX$15.51

175.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 A$11.21

$3.15 MX$58.6

148.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 A$11.02

$4.93 MX$91.8

56.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.26

$1.41 MX$26.22

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 A$3.96

$2.20 MX$40.86

25.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.19

$1.47 MX$27.40

51.70%

Eggs

$4.84 A$6.92

$2.50 MX$46.46

93.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$12.97

$7.29 MX$136

24.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.27

$7.95 MX$148

16.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 A$20.71

$12.86 MX$239

12.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 A$5.33

$2.90 MX$53.9

28.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.38

$1.38 MX$25.74

121.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.76

$2.49 MX$46.35

33.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.77

$2.03 MX$37.77

133.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$3.82

$2.02 MX$37.68

32.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.45

$1.90 MX$35.42

26.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.43

$1.14 MX$21.30

109.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 A$2.28

$1.24 MX$23.05

28.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.72 A$61.2

$4.27 MX$79.5

900.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 A$20.10

$9.81 MX$183

43.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.59 MX$29.51

203.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.39

$2.75 MX$51.1

88.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 A$4.03

$0.51 MX$9.58

450.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.0 A$120

$27.39 MX$510

206.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 A$4.97

$4.76 MX$88.6

-27.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.29

$3.25 MX$60.5

-50.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.98 A$58.7

$5.39 MX$100

660.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.86

$1.53 MX$28.44

-15.03%

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

$29.9K A$42.8K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

41.04%

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

$26.6K A$38.0K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

14.25%

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

$206 A$294

$83.5 MX$1,554

146.22%

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

$27.81 A$39.82

$23.19 MX$431

19.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 A$82.0

$27.61 MX$514

107.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 A$80.7

$56.4 MX$1,050

-0.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 A$25.29

$28.19 MX$525

-37.32%

Cinema Ticket

$14.12 A$20.22

$5.00 MX$93.1

182.40%

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

$2,113 A$3,025

$207 MX$3,854

920.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K A$29.7K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

296.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 A$108

$43.45 MX$809

74.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 A$78.1

$42.54 MX$792

28.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$155

$72.8 MX$1,354

48.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$88.4 MX$1,645

38.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 A$1,985

$995 MX$18.5K

39.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 A$1,733

$382 MX$7,116

216.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 A$3,182

$1,674 MX$31.2K

32.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,843 A$2,638

$1,081 MX$20.1K

70.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,770 A$8,259

$3,909 MX$72.7K

47.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,965 A$7,108

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-19.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,106 A$7,309

$832 MX$15.5K

513.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.45

-48.47%

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

Last update for Port Hedland: November 1, 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 Hedland

$1.2K 48.1%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.4% $828

Groceries & Markets

Port Hedland

$367 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 29.8% $109

Eating Out

Port Hedland

$296 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 32.3% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Hedland

$291 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 53.8% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Port Hedland

$162 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 31.5% $51

Getting Around

Port Hedland

$107 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Port Hedland

$85 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 21.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,387 in Port Hedland 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.

Salaries in Port Hedland are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Port Hedland versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Hedland

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

15:05 3:05 PM

13 h behind Port Hedland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,298

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Hedland Playa del Carmen 17,340 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Port Hedland is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,776 per month in Port Hedland 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 $1,387 in Port Hedland.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,517 in Port Hedland and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 67% 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 Hedland at $2,517. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Hedland 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.

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