Cost of Living Comparison Between Queenstown and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Queenstown and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Queenstown is 66.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 120.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Queenstown is 63% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 92.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Queenstown
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.90 NZ$25.03
$11.85 MX$205
25.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.5 NZ$142
$42.16 MX$730
100.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.67 NZ$16.24
$10.75 MX$186
-10.05%
Cappuccino
$3.34 NZ$5.62
$3.47 MX$60.2
-3.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 NZ$4.19
$1.45 MX$25.17
71.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 NZ$3.93
$0.90 MX$15.64
160.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.30 NZ$12.26
$3.05 MX$52.9
139.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.98 NZ$10.05
$4.42 MX$76.5
35.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Queenstown
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 NZ$3.64
$1.37 MX$23.72
58.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.13 NZ$3.58
$1.87 MX$32.43
13.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.47 NZ$4.16
$1.54 MX$26.74
60.39%
Eggs
$6.43 NZ$10.80
$2.50 MX$43.36
157.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.77 NZ$16.42
$8.61 MX$149
13.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.79 NZ$18.14
$8.63 MX$150
25.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.52 NZ$27.75
$11.02 MX$191
49.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 NZ$5.09
$2.75 MX$47.62
10.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.44 NZ$4.10
$1.43 MX$24.73
70.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.14 NZ$6.95
$1.87 MX$32.44
121.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.97 NZ$10.02
$2.17 MX$37.54
175.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.72 NZ$4.57
$1.88 MX$32.61
44.68%
Onion (1kg)
$2.38 NZ$4.00
$2.25 MX$38.91
5.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.85 NZ$4.79
$1.07 MX$18.49
166.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 NZ$1.92
$1.07 MX$18.59
6.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.19 NZ$49.05
$4.15 MX$72.0
603.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.13 NZ$17.01
$10.34 MX$179
-2.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.68 NZ$7.87
$1.68 MX$29.08
178.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.03 NZ$11.81
$2.48 MX$43.02
183.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Queenstown
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.74 NZ$4.61
$0.55 MX$9.61
398.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$132 NZ$222
$26.53 MX$459
397.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.88 NZ$4.84
$3.22 MX$55.7
-10.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.80 NZ$3.02
$2.48 MX$42.98
-27.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.05 NZ$52.2
$3.11 MX$53.9
898.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.66 NZ$2.78
$1.26 MX$21.75
31.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K NZ$50.9K
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-1.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.7K NZ$29.7K
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-26.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Queenstown
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$277 NZ$466
$82.5 MX$1,429
236.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.50 NZ$68.1
$22.29 MX$386
81.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.8 NZ$105
$30.02 MX$520
109.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Queenstown
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.2 NZ$97.8
$51.4 MX$891
13.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.85 NZ$41.75
$18.29 MX$317
35.87%
Cinema Ticket
$13.23 NZ$22.23
$4.98 MX$86.3
165.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Queenstown
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$486 NZ$817
$200 MX$3,464
143.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,949 NZ$11.7K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
31.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Queenstown
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.5 NZ$149
$35.71 MX$618
147.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.86 NZ$82.1
$39.56 MX$685
23.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.4 NZ$162
$80.6 MX$1,395
19.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$283 NZ$476
$88.3 MX$1,530
220.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Queenstown
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,467 NZ$2,464
$969 MX$16.8K
51.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,292 NZ$2,170
$482 MX$8,352
167.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,940 NZ$4,939
$1,595 MX$27.6K
84.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 NZ$4,318
$1,184 MX$20.5K
117.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,068 NZ$13.6K
$4,050 MX$70.1K
99.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,591 NZ$9,393
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-14.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Queenstown
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,252 NZ$5,464
$756 MX$13.1K
329.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
11.42
-40.98%

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

Last update for Queenstown: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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