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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Whakatane is 8.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 45.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Whakatane is 10.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 24.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.06 NZ$25.74
$11.85 MX$212
27.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.4 NZ$122
$42.16 MX$755
69.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.61 NZ$16.43
$10.75 MX$192
-10.60%
Cappuccino
$3.43 NZ$5.87
$3.47 MX$62.2
-1.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 NZ$3.90
$1.45 MX$26.01
57.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 NZ$3.85
$0.90 MX$16.16
150.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.75 NZ$11.54
$3.05 MX$54.7
121.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.53 NZ$11.17
$4.42 MX$79.1
47.74%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 NZ$3.12
$1.37 MX$24.51
32.85%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 NZ$1.80
$1.87 MX$33.51
-43.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 NZ$3.47
$1.54 MX$27.63
31.82%
Eggs
$5.99 NZ$10.24
$2.50 MX$44.81
139.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.57 NZ$12.95
$8.61 MX$154
-12.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.49 NZ$16.23
$8.63 MX$155
9.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.24 NZ$22.64
$11.02 MX$197
20.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.67 NZ$4.56
$2.75 MX$49.22
-2.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 NZ$3.74
$1.43 MX$25.56
53.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.27 NZ$5.59
$1.87 MX$33.52
74.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.03 NZ$6.89
$2.17 MX$38.80
85.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 NZ$3.40
$1.88 MX$33.70
5.85%
Onion (1kg)
$1.63 NZ$2.78
$2.25 MX$40.21
-27.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 NZ$3.23
$1.07 MX$19.11
76.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 NZ$2.00
$1.07 MX$19.22
9.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.05 NZ$42.83
$4.15 MX$74.4
503.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.80 NZ$15.04
$10.34 MX$185
-14.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 NZ$2.70
$1.68 MX$30.06
-5.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 NZ$2.13
$2.48 MX$44.46
-50.00%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 NZ$3.70
$0.55 MX$9.93
294.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.2 NZ$110
$26.53 MX$475
142.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 NZ$3.66
$3.22 MX$57.6
-33.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.94 NZ$3.31
$2.48 MX$44.42
-21.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.11 NZ$60.1
$3.11 MX$55.7
1028.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.68 NZ$2.87
$1.26 MX$22.48
33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K NZ$48.9K
$30.7K MX$548.8K
-6.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,589 NZ$16.4K
$24.0K MX$430.3K
-60.11%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 NZ$213
$82.5 MX$1,476
50.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.74 NZ$52.6
$22.29 MX$399
37.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.49 NZ$79.5
$30.02 MX$537
54.86%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.58 NZ$62.6
$51.4 MX$921
-28.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.24 NZ$20.92
$18.29 MX$327
-33.08%
Cinema Ticket
$8.92 NZ$15.26
$4.98 MX$89.2
79.12%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$917 NZ$1,569
$200 MX$3,580
358.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.4K NZ$22.9K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
152.76%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.4 NZ$120
$35.71 MX$639
97.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.79 NZ$76.6
$39.56 MX$708
13.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.8 NZ$152
$80.6 MX$1,442
10.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 NZ$212
$88.3 MX$1,581
40.65%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$955 NZ$1,634
$969 MX$17.4K
-1.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$784 NZ$1,340
$482 MX$8,632
62.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,552 NZ$2,653
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-2.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,447 NZ$2,475
$1,184 MX$21.2K
22.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,150 NZ$8,806
$4,050 MX$72.5K
27.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,474 NZ$5,940
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-46.74%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,112 NZ$7,031
$756 MX$13.5K
443.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.37
11.42
-44.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Whakatane: February 28, 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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