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

😐 Solo nomad: Townsville is 36% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 73.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Townsville is 28.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 43.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Townsville
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.77 A$16.71
$11.85 MX$209
-0.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.1 A$86.7
$42.16 MX$744
44.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 A$13.49
$10.75 MX$190
-11.63%
Cappuccino
$3.21 A$4.56
$3.47 MX$61.3
-7.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 A$3.51
$1.45 MX$25.65
71.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 A$3.14
$0.90 MX$15.93
145.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.45 A$9.16
$3.05 MX$53.9
111.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.09 A$7.23
$4.42 MX$77.9
15.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Townsville
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 A$2.08
$1.37 MX$24.17
6.57%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 A$2.97
$1.87 MX$33.05
11.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 A$2.27
$1.54 MX$27.25
3.90%
Eggs
$4.13 A$5.87
$2.50 MX$44.18
65.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.34 A$10.43
$8.61 MX$152
-14.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.25 A$11.71
$8.63 MX$152
-4.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.86 A$16.84
$11.02 MX$195
7.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.73 A$5.30
$2.75 MX$48.53
35.64%
Banana (1kg)
$2.94 A$4.18
$1.43 MX$25.21
105.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.20 A$4.55
$1.87 MX$33.05
71.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.34 A$6.16
$2.17 MX$38.26
100.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 A$3.79
$1.88 MX$33.23
42.02%
Onion (1kg)
$2.38 A$3.37
$2.25 MX$39.65
5.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.14 A$3.04
$1.07 MX$18.85
100.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 A$2.76
$1.07 MX$18.95
81.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.86 A$33.88
$4.15 MX$73.3
474.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.45 A$13.42
$10.34 MX$182
-8.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.39 A$4.81
$1.68 MX$29.64
101.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.52 A$10.68
$2.48 MX$43.84
203.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Townsville
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.06 A$2.92
$0.55 MX$9.80
274.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.3 A$101
$26.53 MX$468
168.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.67 A$5.21
$3.22 MX$56.8
13.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.50 A$2.13
$2.48 MX$43.80
-39.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$49.17 A$69.8
$3.11 MX$54.9
1481.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 A$1.66
$1.26 MX$22.16
-7.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.9K A$32.6K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-25.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.8K A$28.0K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
-17.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Townsville
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 A$215
$82.5 MX$1,456
83.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.47 A$48.94
$22.29 MX$393
54.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.2 A$85.4
$30.02 MX$530
100.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Townsville
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.70 A$59.2
$51.4 MX$908
-18.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.14 A$20.07
$18.29 MX$323
-22.69%
Cinema Ticket
$15.51 A$22.02
$4.98 MX$88.0
211.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Townsville
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,153 A$1,637
$200 MX$3,530
476.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K A$17.4K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
131.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Townsville
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.1 A$135
$35.71 MX$630
166.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.9 A$87.9
$39.56 MX$698
56.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 A$142
$80.6 MX$1,422
24.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 A$168
$88.3 MX$1,559
34.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Townsville
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,228 A$1,744
$969 MX$17.1K
26.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 A$1,531
$482 MX$8,511
123.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,299 A$3,264
$1,595 MX$28.2K
44.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,891 A$2,685
$1,184 MX$20.9K
59.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,181 A$5,936
$4,050 MX$71.5K
3.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,652 A$5,186
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-44.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Townsville
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,245 A$6,028
$756 MX$13.4K
461.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.06
11.42
-46.94%

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

Last update for Townsville: 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

Similar cities