Cost of Living Comparison Between Bridgend and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Bridgend and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,414 in Bridgend versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,524 in Bridgend versus $2,184 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,634 in Bridgend versus $3,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Bridgend is roughly 88% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bridgend is 80% above, Playa del Carmen is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.58 £15.99

$11.94 MX$209

80.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 £59.4

$42.75 MX$748

87.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 £7.55

$10.59 MX$185

-3.78%

Cappuccino

$3.73 £2.76

$3.62 MX$63.4

3.04%

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

$2.27 £1.68

$1.47 MX$25.69

54.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.18

$0.94 MX$16.51

70.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 £3.61

$3.09 MX$54.1

57.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 £4.49

$4.46 MX$78.0

35.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.43 MX$24.94

13.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.88 MX$32.97

3.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 £2.09

$1.63 MX$28.50

73.62%

Eggs

$6.27 £4.65

$2.64 MX$46.26

137.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 £7.40

$8.21 MX$144

21.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 £8.74

$8.29 MX$145

42.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 £10.21

$11.10 MX$194

24.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 £2.37

$2.65 MX$46.40

20.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$1.50 MX$26.26

6.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 £2.15

$1.99 MX$34.79

45.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 £2.62

$2.08 MX$36.33

70.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.79 MX$31.29

-6.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 £1.10

$2.18 MX$38.09

-32.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 £0.82

$1.08 MX$18.84

1.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.04 MX$18.15

45.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.09 £14.14

$3.97 MX$69.5

380.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 £6.18

$10.20 MX$179

-18.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 £2.07

$1.73 MX$30.22

61.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 £2.37

$2.50 MX$43.71

28.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.94

$0.52 MX$9.07

401.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.7 £66.5

$26.97 MX$472

232.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.59 £4.14

$3.14 MX$55.0

78.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 £1.17

$2.40 MX$42.04

-34.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.43 £17.36

$3.09 MX$54.0

658.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.27 MX$22.28

59.84%

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

$38.6K £28.6K

$30.9K MX$540.4K

25.00%

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

$51.6K £38.2K

$23.3K MX$408.0K

121.29%

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

$373 £276

$82.0 MX$1,435

354.82%

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

$25.73 £19.06

$22.45 MX$393

14.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.00 £31.12

$29.66 MX$519

41.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.98 £37.04

$51.9 MX$908

-3.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 £8.20

$18.67 MX$327

-40.71%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 £10.10

$4.97 MX$87.0

174.45%

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

$1,568 £1,162

$198 MX$3,462

692.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K £13.7K

$5,273 MX$92.3K

250.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 £63.2

$36.34 MX$636

134.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.14 £31.97

$40.05 MX$701

7.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 £67.5

$79.9 MX$1,398

14.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 £61.9

$88.9 MX$1,555

-6.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £915

$963 MX$16.9K

28.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 £757

$465 MX$8,133

119.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 £863

$1,596 MX$27.9K

-27.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 £1,265

$1,209 MX$21.2K

41.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,262 £1,676

$720 MX$12.6K

214.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

11.42

-50.70%

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

Last update for Bridgend: April 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,234 in Bridgend and $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bridgend pays 214% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Bridgend vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 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

Bridgend vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bridgend and Playa del Carmen differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($2,414 vs $1,287 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Bridgend pays 214% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,234 in Bridgend versus $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,568 in Bridgend versus $198 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Bridgend. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,414 in Bridgend, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bridgend. 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 88% less than in Bridgend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.