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: $2,303 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,461 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $2,125 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,619 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $2,990 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Ashton-under-Lyne is roughly 83% more expensive than in 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 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.68 £15.33

$11.72 MX$203

76.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.1 £71.2

$41.89 MX$725

129.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 £7.16

$10.51 MX$182

-8.09%

Cappuccino

$4.71 £3.49

$3.59 MX$62.0

31.20%

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

$2.12 £1.57

$1.51 MX$26.10

40.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 £1.13

$0.92 MX$15.83

65.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 £5.00

$2.96 MX$51.2

127.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 £4.65

$4.41 MX$76.3

42.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.22

$1.40 MX$24.16

17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.88 MX$32.60

-11.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 £1.62

$1.56 MX$26.97

40.38%

Eggs

$3.93 £2.92

$2.61 MX$45.14

50.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 £6.09

$8.32 MX$144

-1.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 £6.47

$8.35 MX$145

4.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 £11.22

$10.86 MX$188

39.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.19

$2.71 MX$46.93

8.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.12

$1.51 MX$26.04

0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 £1.84

$1.87 MX$32.41

32.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.64

$2.19 MX$37.89

63.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.30

$1.86 MX$32.14

-5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.34

$2.23 MX$38.59

-19.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.93

$1.07 MX$18.48

17.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.09 MX$18.79

16.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.18 £14.21

$4.19 MX$72.4

357.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.05 £7.45

$10.43 MX$180

-3.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.82

$1.66 MX$28.68

48.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 £2.05

$2.61 MX$45.19

6.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.34 £2.47

$0.54 MX$9.37

518.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.9 £65.9

$26.16 MX$453

239.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 £3.11

$3.08 MX$53.3

36.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 £1.19

$2.40 MX$41.61

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.02 £11.88

$3.13 MX$54.1

411.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.39

$1.31 MX$22.69

43.51%

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

$38.1K £28.2K

$29.8K MX$515.7K

27.66%

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

$37.7K £28.0K

$23.3K MX$403.5K

61.71%

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

$287 £213

$81.3 MX$1,406

253.12%

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

$18.32 £13.58

$22.56 MX$390

-18.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.43 £31.45

$30.05 MX$520

41.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.38 £33.64

$52.9 MX$915

-14.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 £15.09

$18.39 MX$318

10.66%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 £10.04

$4.92 MX$85.1

175.20%

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

$1,653 £1,225

$201 MX$3,474

723.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K £12.3K

$5,175 MX$89.5K

220.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 £64.4

$35.92 MX$622

141.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.17 £30.51

$40.13 MX$694

2.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 £66.3

$79.7 MX$1,379

12.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £78.9

$86.5 MX$1,496

23.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 £899

$978 MX$16.9K

24.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 £755

$470 MX$8,140

116.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,059 £1,526

$1,651 MX$28.6K

24.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 £1,284

$1,203 MX$20.8K

43.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,166 £3,829

$3,953 MX$68.4K

30.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,265 £1,679

$6,607 MX$114.3K

-65.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$677 MX$11.7K

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: July 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,213 in Ashton-under-Lyne and $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96.0 in Ashton-under-Lyne vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $252 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 83% 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 $3,454 in Ashton-under-Lyne and $1,890 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: $1,213 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% 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 $42.00 versus $96.0 in Ashton-under-Lyne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,303 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 $1,260 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 83% less than in Ashton-under-Lyne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.