Mexico Budget Breakdown: What 56 Days in Mexico Actually Cost Us
When we arrived in Mexico, we weren't entirely sure what it was going to give us. We booked our first three weeks in Playa del Carmen and figured we'd work out the rest once we got there.
What happened was that life slowed wayyyyyy down. Kia and I got back into the gym regularly, we were swimming every day, the kids had routine again and we were all thriving.
So when those first three weeks were coming to an end, instead of packing up and heading somewhere new, we moved to another place in Playa del Carmen and stayed. It became our longest stay in one location of the entire trip.
Eventually, we moved to Cancun for our final five nights, mainly so we could swim with whale sharks. Without that experience, there's a good chance we would have spent the entire 56 nights in Playa del Carmen. And financially, staying still worked incredibly well.
What We Actually Spent
Our allowable budget for Mexico was based on our overall 12-month travel budget.
For 56 days, that gave us:
Allowable Budget: $19,024 AUD
Actual Spend: $14,749 AUD
Final Position: $4,275 under budget
That works out to around $263 per day for our family of four, or $66 per person per day.
And that included our flights from London and almost $2,000 worth of bigger experiences.
Where The Money Went
Flights To Mexico
We flew from London to Cancun with TUI Airways.
$1,855 AUD – London to Cancun for four people
The flight was incredibly comfortable, with great onboard entertainment, and marked the beginning of a very different stage of our trip.
We just didn't know it yet.
Playa del Carmen – 51 Nights
Accommodation
$2,054 AUD – First accommodation: 11 June to 1 July
$2,200 AUD – Second accommodation: 1 July to 1 August
$300 AUD – Electricity
Those first few weeks completely changed our plans. After months of regularly changing locations, we suddenly had time to settle into normal life again.
We could work, keep up with the kids' schooling, exercise, cook and enjoy Playa without constantly researching the next destination or packing our bags.
By the time our first three weeks were finished, we didn't want to leave. So we didn't. Our second accommodation became our longest stay in one place since leaving Australia.
Food, Entertainment & Transport
Across our 56 days, we spent:
$5,719 AUD – Food, entertainment and local transport
That works out at around $102 per day for our family of four.
We weren't trying to travel Mexico as cheaply as possible. We ate out, explored and enjoyed ourselves, but having a kitchen and staying in one area removed many of the costs that come with constantly moving.
We could do proper grocery shops and actually use everything we bought rather than throwing things away every time we packed up.
It sounds insignificant, but over weeks of travelling those little expenses add up.
The Experiences
Slowing down didn't mean doing nothing.
We still spent almost $2,000 on three bigger experiences.
Tulum, Cenote & Turtles
$672 AUD
We spent a day exploring the Mayan ruins at Tulum, swimming in a cenote and snorkelling with turtles.
Waterpark
$255 AUD
We also spent a day at a waterpark with the kids.
Neither was essential, but this trip has never been about travelling as cheaply as possible.
We'd rather save money on ordinary days and spend it on the experiences we actually want to have.
Cancun – 5 Nights
Accommodation
$642 AUD – 1 August to 6 August
Swimming With Whale Sharks
$1,051.64 AUD
This was our biggest individual experience expense in Mexico and the main reason we left Playa del Carmen.
Spending more than $1,000 on a single activity isn't something we do lightly, but getting into the water alongside whale sharks was an experience we didn't want to miss.
Without it, we probably would have stayed in Playa until it was time to leave Mexico.
Our Mexico Budget
Our spending across the 56 days was:
Flights: $1,855
Accommodation: $4,896
Electricity: $300
Food, entertainment & transport: $5,719
Swimming with whale sharks: $1,051.64
Tulum, cenote & turtles: $672
Waterpark: $255
Final Numbers
Total Spend: $14,749 AUD
Allowable Budget: $19,024 AUD
Final Position: $4,275 under budget
What Mexico Taught Us About Slow Travel
Mexico became one of the clearest examples we've had of how much our pace affects both our spending and how we feel while travelling. Moving costs money. There are the obvious expenses like transport and accommodation, but also the smaller ones: eating out on travel days, convenience purchases, short-stay premiums and food that gets left behind. Staying put removed a lot of that. But the bigger benefit was how much better we all felt.
For weeks there was no next destination to organise. We could work, exercise, keep the kids in a routine and have days where we didn't feel like we needed to be out seeing something.
Then, when there was something we genuinely wanted to experience, we did it. That's probably the balance we're getting better at finding as this year goes on. We don't need every day to be an adventure.
Final Thought
Before Mexico, we probably still thought travelling the world meant continually moving through it. Mexico challenged that.
We spent 56 days in the country and 51 of them in Playa del Carmen. Did we see as much of Mexico as we could have? Definitely not. But this trip was never supposed to be about ticking off as many places as possible. For a while, Playa del Carmen gave us something we needed more: a chance to stop moving without stopping the trip. And while doing it, we finished $4,275 under budget.
Sometimes slow travel isn't about how much of a country you see. It's about staying somewhere long enough to actually live there.
