Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,467 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
58

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

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,467

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,467 per month in Wollongong vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wollongong $2,467
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,619 per month in Wollongong vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wollongong $3,619
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,772 per month in Wollongong vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wollongong $4,772
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Wollongong costs about 105% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Wollongong sits 81% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.38 A$24.62

$10.92 MX$203

59.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 A$119

$43.37 MX$808

93.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$15.10

$11.78 MX$219

-9.51%

Cappuccino

$3.47 A$4.92

$3.81 MX$71.0

-8.92%

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

$3.03 A$4.30

$1.28 MX$23.89

136.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.23

$0.78 MX$14.58

192.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 A$10.16

$3.17 MX$59.0

126.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 A$9.99

$4.93 MX$91.9

43.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.68

$1.41 MX$26.20

-15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$2.22 MX$41.30

33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.13

$1.42 MX$26.40

55.63%

Eggs

$3.96 A$5.61

$2.52 MX$47.00

57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 A$14.66

$7.26 MX$135

42.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 A$13.36

$7.70 MX$143

22.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 A$22.22

$12.69 MX$236

23.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.12

$2.78 MX$51.9

4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.60

$1.37 MX$25.49

85.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.73

$2.55 MX$47.52

30.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.67

$2.12 MX$39.55

122.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.28

$1.94 MX$36.11

19.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.66

$1.89 MX$35.13

36.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.59

$1.15 MX$21.36

120.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.18 MX$21.96

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.34 A$64.2

$4.30 MX$80.0

954.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 A$19.70

$9.95 MX$185

39.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.48 A$6.35

$1.58 MX$29.50

183.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.90

$2.67 MX$49.76

82.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 A$3.32

$0.55 MX$10.31

327.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$196

$26.62 MX$496

419.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.64

$4.97 MX$92.6

-19.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.21

$3.33 MX$62.1

-53.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.53 A$61.7

$5.36 MX$99.8

712.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.44 MX$26.90

-7.64%

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

$28.5K A$40.4K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

38.15%

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

$24.8K A$35.1K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

5.64%

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

$186 A$263

$84.8 MX$1,580

119.06%

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

$26.37 A$37.36

$23.41 MX$436

12.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.87 A$70.7

$28.66 MX$534

74.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 A$86.9

$57.1 MX$1,063

7.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 A$19.52

$28.91 MX$539

-52.33%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 A$19.14

$5.14 MX$95.7

162.84%

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

$2,193 A$3,107

$207 MX$3,848

961.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$28.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

416.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 A$100

$43.35 MX$808

63.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.0

$41.44 MX$772

34.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$74.2 MX$1,382

43.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$156

$89.3 MX$1,663

23.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,984

$980 MX$18.2K

42.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 A$1,646

$381 MX$7,095

205.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 A$3,397

$1,708 MX$31.8K

40.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,597

$1,075 MX$20.0K

70.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 A$6,330

$3,943 MX$73.5K

13.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 A$5,055

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-42.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,107 A$7,234

$735 MX$13.7K

595.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

11.45

-54.32%

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

Last update for Wollongong: October 25, 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

Wollongong

$1.2K 47.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 67.2% $781

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$357 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 28.5% $102

Eating Out

Wollongong

$284 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 28.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$262 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 47.8% $125

Getting Around

Wollongong

$159 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 68.4% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$155 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$88 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 23.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,400 in Wollongong 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.

Salaries in Wollongong are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Wollongong versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

06:57 6:57 AM

16 h behind Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wollongong Playa del Carmen 14,180 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
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

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

Yes – Wollongong is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,700 per month in Wollongong and $1,806 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,400 in Wollongong.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,467 in Wollongong and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 51% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 81% 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 Wollongong at $2,467. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wollongong 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.

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