Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bournemouth and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,509 in Bournemouth, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bournemouth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,509
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,509 per month in Bournemouth vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $2,509
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in Bournemouth vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $3,689
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,870 per month in Bournemouth vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $4,870
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Bournemouth costs about 107% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bournemouth sits 86% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bournemouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 £15.25
$10.76 MX$199
88.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 £75.6
$43.03 MX$795
134.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 £8.76
$11.79 MX$218
-0.93%
Cappuccino
$4.76 £3.57
$3.87 MX$71.4
23.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 £2.41
$1.37 MX$25.29
134.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 £1.53
$0.84 MX$15.44
141.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.78 £5.09
$3.10 MX$57.3
118.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.19 £5.39
$5.07 MX$93.6
41.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 £1.21
$1.44 MX$26.55
11.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 £1.16
$2.23 MX$41.23
-30.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.47 MX$27.17
22.45%
Eggs
$4.32 £3.24
$2.53 MX$46.71
70.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.23 £4.68
$7.30 MX$135
-14.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 £6.96
$7.86 MX$145
18.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.68 £9.51
$12.79 MX$236
-0.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 £1.67
$2.90 MX$53.6
-23.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 £1.32
$1.44 MX$26.53
21.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 £1.46
$2.55 MX$47.07
-23.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.11 £1.58
$2.06 MX$38.03
2.43%
Potato (1kg)
$2.03 £1.52
$2.00 MX$36.97
1.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 £0.95
$2.01 MX$37.07
-37.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 £1.42
$1.19 MX$22.02
58.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.26 MX$23.23
34.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.60 £17.71
$4.40 MX$81.4
436.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.36 £7.02
$9.59 MX$177
-2.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 £2.10
$1.59 MX$29.41
76.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 £1.87
$2.81 MX$51.9
-11.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Bournemouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.64 £2.73
$0.57 MX$10.47
538.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.8 £68.1
$27.82 MX$514
226.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 £2.42
$4.98 MX$92.1
-35.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.29 £1.72
$3.50 MX$64.6
-34.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.25 £24.20
$5.40 MX$99.8
497.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.49
$1.47 MX$27.08
35.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
81.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K £30.0K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
67.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$353 £265
$84.2 MX$1,556
319.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.19 £12.14
$23.99 MX$443
-32.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.90 £32.18
$29.02 MX$536
47.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.33 £28.00
$63.0 MX$1,164
-40.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.71 £8.78
$29.14 MX$539
-59.81%
Cinema Ticket
$17.19 £12.90
$4.94 MX$91.3
247.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bournemouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,218 £1,664
$204 MX$3,763
989.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$33.8K £25.4K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
758.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.8 £66.6
$43.60 MX$806
103.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.86 £32.90
$43.12 MX$797
1.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.6 £62.0
$75.8 MX$1,400
8.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$143 £107
$88.6 MX$1,637
61.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bournemouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 £944
$1,008 MX$18.6K
24.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,146 £860
$374 MX$6,911
206.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 £2,003
$1,708 MX$31.6K
56.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,898 £1,424
$1,106 MX$20.4K
71.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,662 £4,998
$3,944 MX$72.9K
68.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,474 £4,107
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-11.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bournemouth
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,920 £2,191
$754 MX$13.9K
287.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.96
11.45
-56.68%

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

Last update for Bournemouth: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bournemouth
$1.1K
Playa del Carmen
$374 67.4% $772
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
$412
Playa del Carmen
$137 66.7% $275
Eating Out
Bournemouth
$324
Playa del Carmen
$202 37.6% $122
Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
$273
Playa del Carmen
$258 5.4% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
$161
Playa del Carmen
$113 29.9% $48
Getting Around
Bournemouth
$120
Playa del Carmen
$53 56.2% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
$72
Playa del Carmen
$73 1.6% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,258 in Bournemouth versus $1,008 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 run about 287% higher in Bournemouth, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Bournemouth
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
17:25 5:25 PM
11:25 11:25 AM
6 h behind Bournemouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,491
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bournemouth Playa del Carmen 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bournemouth
  • 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
Bournemouth vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bournemouth or Playa del Carmen?
Bournemouth costs about 107% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bournemouth and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,763 per month in Bournemouth and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bournemouth or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Bournemouth or in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 6% more in Bournemouth, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Bournemouth and in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Bournemouth or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Bournemouth at $2,509. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bournemouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bournemouth or Playa del Carmen?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $2,509 in Bournemouth. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Bournemouth or to Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bournemouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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