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

😐 Solo nomad: Rarotonga is 5.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Rarotonga is 33.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 13.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rarotonga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.08 NZ$19.92
$11.99 MX$227
0.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61 NZ$101
$42.47 MX$803
43.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 NZ$12.34
$10.47 MX$198
-28.56%
Cappuccino
$4.24 NZ$7
$3.6 MX$68.2
17.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 NZ$5.41
$1.44 MX$27.16
127.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 NZ$4.5
$0.89 MX$16.79
206.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.82 NZ$11.24
$3.09 MX$58.5
120.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.51 NZ$9.09
$4.58 MX$86.6
20.31%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Rarotonga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 NZ$3.7
$1.38 MX$26.04
63.04%
White Bread (500g)
$2.86 NZ$4.71
$1.85 MX$34.9
54.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 NZ$2.42
$1.57 MX$29.68
-6.37%
Eggs
$6.61 NZ$10.9
$2.55 MX$48.3
159.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.8 NZ$14.51
$8.61 MX$163
2.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.41 NZ$12.23
$8.54 MX$161
-13.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.16 NZ$11.81
$10.98 MX$208
-34.79%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 NZ$5.02
$2.72 MX$51.4
11.76%
Banana (1kg)
$3.03 NZ$5
$1.51 MX$28.57
100.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.65 NZ$6.03
$1.88 MX$35.63
94.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.05
$2.19 MX$41.42
39.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 NZ$3.05
$1.87 MX$35.3
-1.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.43 NZ$2.35
$2.19 MX$41.37
-34.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.85 NZ$3.04
$1.07 MX$20.23
72.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.72 NZ$6.13
$1.09 MX$20.64
241.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15 NZ$24.74
$3.96 MX$74.9
278.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.84 NZ$14.58
$8.86 MX$167
-0.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.56 NZ$5.87
$1.72 MX$32.53
106.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 NZ$9.16
$2.61 MX$49.37
112.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Rarotonga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.08 NZ$5.09
$0.52 MX$9.74
492.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$21.13 NZ$34.86
$3.24 MX$61.2
552.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.38 MX$44.94
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.36 NZ$60
$3.11 MX$58.7
1069.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.83 NZ$3.02
$1.31 MX$24.85
39.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12K NZ$19.8K
$30.3K MX$573K
-60.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24K MX$453.6K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rarotonga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.4 NZ$147
$84.2 MX$1,592
6.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.83 NZ$49.21
$22.14 MX$419
34.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$105 NZ$173
$30.14 MX$570
248.04%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Rarotonga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.69 NZ$40.72
$52 MX$983
-52.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.92 NZ$39.45
$18.72 MX$354
27.78%
Cinema Ticket
$6.79 NZ$11.19
$5.07 MX$95.9
33.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rarotonga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,787
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,442 NZ$2,378
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-72.96%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Rarotonga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$35.74 MX$676
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$39.8 MX$753
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$79 MX$1,493
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$88.4 MX$1,671
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rarotonga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$481 NZ$793
$965 MX$18.3K
-50.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$486 NZ$802
$474 MX$8,968
2.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$731 NZ$1,205
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-55.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 NZ$1,194
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-39.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Rarotonga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$792 MX$15K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8
11.42
-29.95%

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

Last update for Rarotonga: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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