Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Redland City and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,349 in Redland City, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Redland City
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Redland City Living Index
58

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

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Redland City

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,349

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,349 per month in Redland City vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Redland City $2,349
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,361 per month in Redland City vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Redland City $3,361
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,373 per month in Redland City vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Redland City $4,373
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Redland City costs about 95% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Redland City sits 73% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.58 A$22.25

$10.92 MX$203

42.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 A$91.9

$43.37 MX$805

48.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 A$13.79

$11.78 MX$219

-18.00%

Cappuccino

$3.62 A$5.16

$3.81 MX$70.7

-4.99%

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

$2.82 A$4.03

$1.28 MX$23.81

120.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 A$3.02

$0.78 MX$14.54

171.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 A$10.81

$3.17 MX$58.8

138.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.46 A$9.22

$4.93 MX$91.7

31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.24

$1.41 MX$26.12

11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 A$3.93

$2.22 MX$41.17

23.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.37

$1.42 MX$26.32

66.20%

Eggs

$4.89 A$6.98

$2.52 MX$46.85

94.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 A$12.19

$7.26 MX$135

17.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.30

$7.70 MX$143

20.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 A$21.32

$12.69 MX$236

17.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 A$5.10

$2.78 MX$51.7

28.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.90

$1.37 MX$25.41

99.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.06

$2.55 MX$47.37

-16.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 A$5.10

$2.12 MX$39.43

68.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.70

$1.94 MX$36.00

33.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.89 MX$35.02

-9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 A$3.06

$1.15 MX$21.29

86.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 A$2.20

$1.18 MX$21.89

30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$33.08 A$47.24

$4.30 MX$79.8

669.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 A$15.72

$9.95 MX$185

10.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.93 A$7.05

$1.58 MX$29.41

212.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 A$5.94

$2.67 MX$49.60

55.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$0.55 MX$10.28

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.7 A$112

$26.62 MX$494

195.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 A$3.04

$4.97 MX$92.3

-57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.25

$3.33 MX$61.9

-52.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.08 A$51.5

$5.36 MX$99.5

573.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.90

$1.44 MX$26.82

-7.64%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

40.72%

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

$26.7K A$38.1K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

13.66%

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

$90.3 A$129

$84.8 MX$1,575

6.52%

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

$30.52 A$43.58

$23.41 MX$435

30.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.2 A$75.9

$28.66 MX$532

85.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 A$86.0

$57.1 MX$1,059

5.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 A$25.42

$28.91 MX$537

-38.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 A$10.20

$5.14 MX$95.4

39.11%

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

$517 A$738

$207 MX$3,836

150.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,161 A$5,942

$3,927 MX$72.9K

5.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 A$111

$43.35 MX$805

79.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.0

$41.44 MX$770

33.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 A$148

$74.2 MX$1,378

39.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 A$142

$89.3 MX$1,657

11.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 A$2,033

$980 MX$18.2K

45.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 A$1,784

$381 MX$7,072

227.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,202

$1,708 MX$31.7K

31.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,853 A$2,646

$1,075 MX$20.0K

72.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,518 A$7,880

$3,943 MX$73.2K

39.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,595 A$6,562

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-25.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

11.45

-50.31%

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

Last update for Redland City: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Redland City

$1.2K 53.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 69.5% $868

Groceries & Markets

Redland City

$343 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 25.7% $88

Eating Out

Redland City

$268 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 24.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Redland City

$174 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 21.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Redland City

$151 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.1% $39

Getting Around

Redland City

$90 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 44% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Redland City

$74 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 9.6% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,424 in Redland City versus $980 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 $64 in Redland City versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Redland City

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

04:31 4:31 AM

15 h behind Redland City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,222

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 →

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Between locations

Redland City Playa del Carmen 13,900 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Redland City
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

Redland City vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Redland City is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,524 per month in Redland City and $1,806 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 $980 there versus $1,424 in Redland City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,349 in Redland City and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 66% 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 $1,204, than in Redland City at $2,349. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Redland City 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 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.