Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,224 in Ashton-under-Lyne, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Ashton-under-Lyne
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Ashton-under-Lyne Living Index
57

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

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Ashton-under-Lyne

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,224

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,224 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Ashton-under-Lyne $2,224
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,437 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ashton-under-Lyne $3,437
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,649 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Ashton-under-Lyne $4,649
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Ashton-under-Lyne is roughly 85% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashton-under-Lyne is 64% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 £14.76

$10.67 MX$199

86.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 £66.0

$43.80 MX$815

103.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 £7.71

$11.79 MX$219

-11.79%

Cappuccino

$4.64 £3.44

$3.79 MX$70.5

22.43%

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

$2.41 £1.79

$1.30 MX$24.14

85.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 £1.30

$0.83 MX$15.51

110.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.57 £4.87

$3.15 MX$58.6

108.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 £4.90

$4.93 MX$91.8

34.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.41 MX$26.22

1.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 £1.31

$2.20 MX$40.86

-19.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 £1.43

$1.47 MX$27.40

31.29%

Eggs

$4.05 £3.00

$2.50 MX$46.47

62.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 £6.09

$7.29 MX$136

12.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.70 £6.45

$7.95 MX$148

9.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 £10.50

$12.86 MX$239

10.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 £2.05

$2.90 MX$53.9

-4.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$1.38 MX$25.74

15.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.16

$2.49 MX$46.36

16.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 £2.20

$2.03 MX$37.78

46.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.15

$2.02 MX$37.69

-23.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.90 MX$35.42

-24.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.92

$1.14 MX$21.30

8.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 £1.03

$1.24 MX$23.06

12.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.97 £17.78

$4.27 MX$79.5

461.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 £7.52

$9.81 MX$183

3.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 £1.83

$1.59 MX$29.51

55.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.26

$2.75 MX$51.1

10.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.30 £3.19

$0.51 MX$9.58

743.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £79.0

$27.39 MX$510

288.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 £3.46

$4.76 MX$88.6

-1.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 £1.34

$3.25 MX$60.5

-44.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.93 £11.81

$5.39 MX$100

195.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.56

$1.53 MX$28.44

37.25%

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

$39.2K £29.1K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

84.72%

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

$41.4K £30.7K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

78.01%

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

$252 £187

$83.5 MX$1,554

201.47%

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

$16.53 £12.26

$23.19 MX$431

-28.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.03 £30.43

$27.61 MX$514

48.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.26 £29.11

$56.4 MX$1,050

-30.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 £10.05

$5.00 MX$93.1

171.00%

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

$1,493 £1,107

$207 MX$3,854

620.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.2K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

239.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 £63.2

$43.45 MX$809

96.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.93 £31.84

$42.54 MX$792

0.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 £68.6

$72.8 MX$1,354

27.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 £75.2

$88.4 MX$1,645

14.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 £950

$995 MX$18.5K

28.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 £721

$382 MX$7,116

154.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 £1,376

$1,674 MX$31.2K

10.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 £1,378

$1,081 MX$20.1K

71.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,608 £3,418

$3,909 MX$72.7K

17.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,858 £2,861

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-37.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

11.45

-58.17%

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

Last update for Ashton-under-Lyne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ashton-under-Lyne

$973 43.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 60.7% $590

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashton-under-Lyne

$309 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 56.6% $175

Eating Out

Ashton-under-Lyne

$309 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 35.2% $109

Groceries & Markets

Ashton-under-Lyne

$284 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 9.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Ashton-under-Lyne

$145 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 23.3% $34

Getting Around

Ashton-under-Lyne

$137 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 63.3% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Ashton-under-Lyne

$66 3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,280 in Ashton-under-Lyne and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $89 in Ashton-under-Lyne vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ashton-under-Lyne

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

5 h behind Ashton-under-Lyne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,604

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.831 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ashton-under-Lyne Playa del Carmen 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashton-under-Lyne
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 46% 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 $3,336 in Ashton-under-Lyne and $1,804 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: $1,280 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% 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 $44 versus $89 in Ashton-under-Lyne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,224 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 cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Ashton-under-Lyne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.