Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashton-under-Lyne and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashton-under-Lyne and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,312 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,428 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $2,184 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,543 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $3,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Ashton-under-Lyne is roughly 80% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashton-under-Lyne is 73% above, Playa del Carmen is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 £15.39

$11.94 MX$209

73.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.8 £71.7

$42.75 MX$748

126.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 £7.15

$10.59 MX$185

-8.88%

Cappuccino

$4.74 £3.51

$3.62 MX$63.4

30.94%

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

$2.14 £1.59

$1.47 MX$25.69

45.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.11

$0.94 MX$16.51

59.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 £4.97

$3.09 MX$54.1

117.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 £4.50

$4.46 MX$78.0

36.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.21

$1.43 MX$24.94

14.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.22

$1.88 MX$32.97

-12.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 £1.59

$1.63 MX$28.50

31.29%

Eggs

$3.85 £2.86

$2.64 MX$46.26

45.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.53 £6.32

$8.21 MX$144

3.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 £6.40

$8.29 MX$145

4.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 £11.13

$11.10 MX$194

35.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 £2.09

$2.65 MX$46.40

6.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 £1.18

$1.50 MX$26.26

6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 £1.91

$1.99 MX$34.79

29.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 £2.76

$2.08 MX$36.33

78.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 £1.37

$1.79 MX$31.29

3.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 £1.35

$2.18 MX$38.09

-16.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.93

$1.08 MX$18.84

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.04 MX$18.15

22.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.11 £14.16

$3.97 MX$69.5

381.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 £7.98

$10.20 MX$179

5.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 £1.84

$1.73 MX$30.22

43.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.12

$2.50 MX$43.71

14.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 £2.52

$0.52 MX$9.07

551.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 £65.2

$26.97 MX$472

226.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 £3.01

$3.14 MX$55.0

29.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 £1.15

$2.40 MX$42.04

-35.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.34 £12.10

$3.09 MX$54.0

428.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.27 MX$22.28

50.39%

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

$38.2K £28.3K

$30.9K MX$540.4K

23.71%

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

$37.5K £27.8K

$23.3K MX$408.0K

60.95%

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

$286 £212

$82.0 MX$1,435

249.14%

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

$18.13 £13.44

$22.45 MX$393

-19.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.57 £31.55

$29.66 MX$519

43.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.73 £33.89

$51.9 MX$908

-11.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.25 £15.01

$18.67 MX$327

8.46%

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 £10.17

$4.97 MX$87.0

176.06%

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

$1,653 £1,225

$198 MX$3,462

735.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K £12.2K

$5,273 MX$92.3K

211.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 £66.0

$36.34 MX$636

144.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.56 £30.80

$40.05 MX$701

3.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 £66.4

$79.9 MX$1,398

12.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 £79.5

$88.9 MX$1,555

20.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 £901

$963 MX$16.9K

26.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 £736

$465 MX$8,133

113.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,001 £1,483

$1,596 MX$27.9K

25.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 £1,255

$1,209 MX$21.2K

40.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 £1,985

$3,942 MX$69.0K

-32.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,313 £1,714

$6,448 MX$112.8K

-64.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.76

11.42

-49.56%

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

Last update for Ashton-under-Lyne: April 28, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,216 in Ashton-under-Lyne and $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $97.0 in Ashton-under-Lyne vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $251 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

Ashton-under-Lyne vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Ashton-under-Lyne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,468 in Ashton-under-Lyne and $1,930 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,216 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Ashton-under-Lyne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $97.0 in Ashton-under-Lyne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,312 in Ashton-under-Lyne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ashton-under-Lyne. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,287 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Ashton-under-Lyne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.