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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Whangarei is 54% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 35.7% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Whangarei is 52.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 17.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Whangarei
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.70 NZ$34.99
$11.85 MX$208
74.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.7 NZ$145
$42.16 MX$742
103.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.37 NZ$17.53
$10.75 MX$189
-3.53%
Cappuccino
$3.84 NZ$6.49
$3.47 MX$61.1
10.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 NZ$3.50
$1.45 MX$25.56
42.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 NZ$2.87
$0.90 MX$15.88
88.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 NZ$10.86
$3.05 MX$53.7
110.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.97 NZ$13.48
$4.42 MX$77.7
80.32%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Whangarei
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 NZ$3.31
$1.37 MX$24.09
43.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.15 NZ$3.63
$1.87 MX$32.93
14.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.05 NZ$3.46
$1.54 MX$27.15
33.12%
Eggs
$6.72 NZ$11.35
$2.50 MX$44.03
168.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.52 NZ$16.09
$8.61 MX$151
10.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.82 NZ$18.28
$8.63 MX$152
25.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.91 NZ$28.58
$11.02 MX$194
53.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 NZ$5.06
$2.75 MX$48.36
8.73%
Banana (1kg)
$2.38 NZ$4.01
$1.43 MX$25.12
66.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 NZ$4.92
$1.87 MX$32.94
55.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.60 NZ$7.77
$2.17 MX$38.13
111.98%
Potato (1kg)
$2.52 NZ$4.26
$1.88 MX$33.12
34.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 NZ$3.16
$2.25 MX$39.51
-16.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.49 NZ$4.21
$1.07 MX$18.78
132.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 NZ$1.81
$1.07 MX$18.88
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.25 NZ$40.99
$4.15 MX$73.1
484.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.96 NZ$16.83
$10.34 MX$182
-3.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 NZ$4.05
$1.68 MX$29.54
42.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 NZ$4.93
$2.48 MX$43.69
17.74%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Whangarei
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.84 NZ$3.11
$0.55 MX$9.76
234.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$141 NZ$239
$26.53 MX$467
432.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.00 NZ$6.75
$3.22 MX$56.6
24.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 NZ$2.77
$2.48 MX$43.65
-33.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.60 NZ$24.67
$3.11 MX$54.7
369.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.64 NZ$2.77
$1.26 MX$22.09
30.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$46.1K NZ$77.9K
$30.7K MX$539.3K
50.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K NZ$38.1K
$24.0K MX$422.8K
-6.20%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whangarei
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 NZ$227
$82.5 MX$1,451
62.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.76 NZ$67.2
$22.29 MX$392
78.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.0 NZ$87.9
$30.02 MX$528
73.25%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Whangarei
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.48 NZ$63.3
$51.4 MX$905
-27.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.07 NZ$5.19
$18.29 MX$322
-83.21%
Cinema Ticket
$10.91 NZ$18.43
$4.98 MX$87.7
119.08%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Whangarei
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$776 NZ$1,311
$200 MX$3,518
287.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K NZ$20.3K
$5,304 MX$93.3K
125.93%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Whangarei
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.3 NZ$115
$35.71 MX$628
91.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.63 NZ$56.8
$39.56 MX$696
-14.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.1 NZ$139
$80.6 MX$1,417
1.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 NZ$169
$88.3 MX$1,554
13.33%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Whangarei
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$525 NZ$887
$969 MX$17.1K
-45.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$457 NZ$773
$482 MX$8,482
-5.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,040 NZ$1,757
$1,595 MX$28.1K
-34.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$783 NZ$1,323
$1,184 MX$20.8K
-33.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,536 NZ$7,666
$4,050 MX$71.2K
11.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,475 NZ$5,873
$6,522 MX$114.7K
-46.71%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Whangarei
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,486 NZ$4,202
$756 MX$13.3K
228.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.7
11.42
-41.33%

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

Last update for Whangarei: March 1, 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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