Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whanganui and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,000 in Whanganui, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Whanganui
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Whanganui Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Whanganui

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,000

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,000 per month in Whanganui vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Whanganui $2,000
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,910 per month in Whanganui vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Whanganui $2,910
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Whanganui vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Whanganui $3,820
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Whanganui costs about 66% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Whanganui sits 47% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 NZ$22.04

$10.92 MX$205

13.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 NZ$130

$43.37 MX$814

68.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.38 NZ$14.89

$11.78 MX$221

-28.86%

Cappuccino

$3.36 NZ$5.97

$3.81 MX$71.5

-11.81%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.93

$1.28 MX$24.07

72.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.63

$0.78 MX$14.70

161.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 NZ$9.73

$3.17 MX$59.5

72.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 NZ$9.73

$4.93 MX$92.7

11.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 NZ$2.37

$1.41 MX$26.40

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 NZ$1.79

$2.22 MX$41.62

-54.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 NZ$2.05

$1.42 MX$26.61

-18.31%

Eggs

$5.54 NZ$9.84

$2.52 MX$47.36

119.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.64 NZ$10.02

$7.26 MX$136

-22.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.49 NZ$13.30

$7.70 MX$144

-2.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 NZ$21.23

$12.69 MX$238

-5.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.93

$2.78 MX$52.3

-20.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.51

$1.37 MX$25.68

44.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$2.55 MX$47.89

-25.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 NZ$6.23

$2.12 MX$39.86

65.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 NZ$3.03

$1.94 MX$36.39

-12.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 NZ$2.34

$1.89 MX$35.41

-30.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 NZ$4.02

$1.15 MX$21.53

97.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.93

$1.18 MX$22.13

-55.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.29 NZ$41.35

$4.30 MX$80.6

441.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 NZ$16.97

$9.95 MX$187

-3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 NZ$4.61

$1.58 MX$29.73

64.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NZ$3.96

$2.67 MX$50.1

-16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 NZ$3.48

$0.55 MX$10.39

256.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 NZ$193

$26.62 MX$500

307.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 NZ$6.38

$4.97 MX$93.3

-27.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 NZ$3.62

$3.33 MX$62.5

-38.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.45 NZ$55.8

$5.36 MX$101

486.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.87

$1.44 MX$27.11

12.50%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.0K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

36.29%

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

$22.7K NZ$40.3K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-3.19%

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

$197 NZ$351

$84.8 MX$1,592

132.92%

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

$32.21 NZ$57.2

$23.41 MX$439

37.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.07 NZ$83.6

$28.66 MX$538

64.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.46 NZ$70.1

$57.1 MX$1,071

-30.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 NZ$10.05

$5.14 MX$96.5

10.12%

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

$686 NZ$1,218

$207 MX$3,878

232.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K NZ$41.1K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

488.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 NZ$109

$43.35 MX$814

41.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.61 NZ$68.6

$41.44 MX$778

-6.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 NZ$166

$74.2 MX$1,393

25.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NZ$188

$89.3 MX$1,676

18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 NZ$1,828

$980 MX$18.4K

5.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 NZ$1,668

$381 MX$7,150

146.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,657 NZ$2,941

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-3.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 NZ$2,602

$1,075 MX$20.2K

36.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,694 NZ$8,334

$3,943 MX$74.0K

19.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,967 NZ$5,267

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-51.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.45

-40.61%

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

Last update for Whanganui: 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

Whanganui

$939 47%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 59.5% $559

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Whanganui

$277 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.6% $140

Groceries & Markets

Whanganui

$248 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 2.6% $6.6

Eating Out

Whanganui

$220 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 8.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Whanganui

$135 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17% $23

Getting Around

Whanganui

$130 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 61.2% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Whanganui

$51 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 32.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,030 in Whanganui 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 $73 in Whanganui versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $248 in Whanganui vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Whanganui wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Whanganui

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

18 h behind Whanganui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,300

149,923

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Whanganui Playa del Carmen 12,110 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Whanganui
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

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

Yes – Whanganui is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,000 per month in Whanganui and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,030 in Whanganui and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,000 in Whanganui and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 75% 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 Whanganui at $2,000. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Whanganui 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.