Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,342 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
60

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

Jump to prices

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,342 per month in Wellington vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wellington $2,342
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $3,316 per month in Wellington vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wellington $3,316
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $4,291 per month in Wellington vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wellington $4,291
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Wellington costs about 93% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Wellington sits 75% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.89 NZ$24.74

$10.97 MX$201

26.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 NZ$114

$44.85 MX$823

43.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.95

$11.92 MX$219

-24.92%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.86

$3.80 MX$69.9

-13.42%

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

$2.35 NZ$4.19

$1.31 MX$24.08

79.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$0.86 MX$15.72

94.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.24 NZ$12.90

$3.21 MX$59.0

125.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 NZ$12.03

$5.01 MX$92.0

34.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 NZ$3.38

$1.46 MX$26.77

30.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.33 MX$42.72

-7.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$1.44 MX$26.48

26.39%

Eggs

$6.73 NZ$11.99

$2.46 MX$45.20

173.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.13

$7.70 MX$141

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$17.01

$7.89 MX$145

20.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 NZ$27.27

$12.80 MX$235

19.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 NZ$5.64

$2.92 MX$53.6

8.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.98

$1.42 MX$26.11

57.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.28

$2.57 MX$47.10

15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 NZ$11.27

$2.14 MX$39.24

195.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.67

$1.95 MX$35.75

5.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 NZ$2.20

$1.94 MX$35.55

-36.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NZ$3.55

$1.15 MX$21.13

73.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 NZ$2.13

$1.22 MX$22.42

-2.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.20

$4.38 MX$80.3

479.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.37 NZ$20.26

$9.85 MX$181

15.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.65

$1.54 MX$28.23

105.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 NZ$4.92

$2.72 MX$49.86

1.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 NZ$4.88

$0.52 MX$9.64

426.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$182

$27.42 MX$503

271.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$4.91 MX$90.2

-62.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 NZ$3.16

$3.52 MX$64.7

-49.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.17 NZ$59.1

$5.69 MX$104

482.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.54 MX$28.27

18.83%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

20.68%

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

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

3.80%

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

$199 NZ$354

$83.6 MX$1,535

137.70%

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

$32.79 NZ$58.4

$24.03 MX$441

36.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 NZ$95.3

$29.33 MX$539

82.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.58 NZ$68.8

$64.9 MX$1,191

-40.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.40 NZ$29.22

$29.46 MX$541

-44.33%

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 NZ$21.64

$5.09 MX$93.4

138.51%

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

$1,036 NZ$1,847

$208 MX$3,813

399.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

217.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 NZ$140

$44.55 MX$818

76.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$50.3

$42.06 MX$772

-32.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 NZ$184

$75.5 MX$1,387

36.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 NZ$276

$91.4 MX$1,678

69.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 NZ$2,187

$986 MX$18.1K

24.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 NZ$2,030

$385 MX$7,072

195.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 NZ$3,869

$1,713 MX$31.5K

26.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 NZ$2,975

$1,108 MX$20.4K

50.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

67.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,505 NZ$6,246

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-43.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,818 NZ$5,022

$758 MX$13.9K

271.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.45

-52.93%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 66.2% $754

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$343 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 24.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$285 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 51.9% $148

Eating Out

Wellington

$243 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 16.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 30.5% $50

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 57.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$63 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 19.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,228 in Wellington versus $986 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 run about 272% higher in Wellington, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Wellington versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

05:45 5:45 AM

18 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wellington Playa del Carmen 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
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

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

Yes – Wellington is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,513 per month in Wellington and $1,823 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,342 in Wellington and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 93%.

Public transport costs about 272% 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 $1,215, than in Wellington at $2,342. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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