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 21.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 44% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Whakatane is 64.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 26.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.01 NZ$24.75
$11.99 MX$227
25.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.5 NZ$120
$42.47 MX$803
70.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.42 NZ$15.53
$10.47 MX$198
-10.03%
Cappuccino
$3.52 NZ$5.81
$3.6 MX$68.2
-2.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 NZ$3.74
$1.44 MX$27.16
57.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 NZ$3.8
$0.89 MX$16.79
159.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.45 NZ$10.64
$3.09 MX$58.5
108.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.79 NZ$11.19
$4.58 MX$86.6
48.25%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 NZ$3.01
$1.38 MX$26.04
31.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 NZ$1.73
$1.85 MX$34.9
-43.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.02 NZ$3.33
$1.57 MX$29.68
28.66%
Eggs
$5.93 NZ$9.78
$2.55 MX$48.3
132.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.56 NZ$12.46
$8.61 MX$163
-12.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.43 NZ$15.56
$8.54 MX$161
10.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.03 NZ$21.49
$10.98 MX$208
18.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 NZ$4.49
$2.72 MX$51.4
-
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 NZ$3.61
$1.51 MX$28.57
45.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.35 NZ$5.53
$1.88 MX$35.63
78.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.2 NZ$6.92
$2.19 MX$41.42
91.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 NZ$3.42
$1.87 MX$35.3
11.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 NZ$2.79
$2.19 MX$41.37
-22.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.88 NZ$3.1
$1.07 MX$20.23
75.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 NZ$2
$1.09 MX$20.64
11.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.78 NZ$42.51
$3.96 MX$74.9
551.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.91 NZ$14.7
$8.86 MX$167
0.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 NZ$2.62
$1.72 MX$32.53
-7.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 NZ$2.03
$2.61 MX$49.37
-52.87%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.08 NZ$3.43
$0.52 MX$9.74
300.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$62.9 NZ$104
$26.59 MX$503
136.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 NZ$3.53
$3.24 MX$61.2
-33.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 NZ$3.19
$2.38 MX$44.94
-18.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.39 NZ$58.4
$3.11 MX$58.7
1037.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.68 NZ$2.77
$1.31 MX$24.85
28.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.7K NZ$47.3K
$30.3K MX$573K
-5.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,610 NZ$15.8K
$24K MX$453.6K
-59.95%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 NZ$210
$84.2 MX$1,592
51.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.32 NZ$50
$22.14 MX$419
36.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.86 NZ$77.3
$30.14 MX$570
55.47%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.69 NZ$60.5
$52 MX$983
-29.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.24 NZ$20.19
$18.72 MX$354
-34.62%
Cinema Ticket
$8.99 NZ$14.83
$5.07 MX$95.9
77.32%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$913 NZ$1,506
$200 MX$3,787
355.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.9K NZ$22.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
160.05%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.4 NZ$114
$35.74 MX$676
94.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.81 NZ$73.9
$39.8 MX$753
12.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.5 NZ$148
$79 MX$1,493
13.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 NZ$208
$88.4 MX$1,671
42.92%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$956 NZ$1,577
$965 MX$18.3K
-0.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$788 NZ$1,299
$474 MX$8,968
66.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,599 NZ$2,637
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-3.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,428 NZ$2,355
$1,202 MX$22.7K
18.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,214 NZ$6,951
$3,081 MX$58.3K
36.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,354 NZ$5,531
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-55.46%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Whakatane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,076 NZ$6,723
$792 MX$15K
414.81%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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