Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caernarfon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Caernarfon and in Playa del Carmen: $1,211 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

Caernarfon, United Kingdom
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Caernarfon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,211
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,211 in Caernarfon versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Caernarfon $1,211
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,727 in Caernarfon versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Caernarfon $2,727
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,243 in Caernarfon versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Caernarfon $4,243
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Monthly costs are close between Caernarfon and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Caernarfon 11% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Caernarfon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.08 £9.85
$10.92 MX$204
19.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$94.0 £70.7
$43.37 MX$808
116.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.57 £7.20
$11.78 MX$220
-18.76%
Cappuccino
$3.98 £2.99
$3.81 MX$71.0
4.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 £2.05
$1.28 MX$23.90
113.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 £1.48
$0.78 MX$14.59
152.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.89 £3.68
$3.17 MX$59.0
54.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.06 £3.06
$4.93 MX$92.0
-17.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Caernarfon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.41 MX$26.22
31.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.76 £1.32
$2.22 MX$41.33
-20.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 £1.67
$1.42 MX$26.42
56.34%
Eggs
$2.43 £1.83
$2.52 MX$47.03
-3.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.11 £6.85
$7.26 MX$135
25.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.14 £5.37
$7.70 MX$143
-7.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.44 £11.62
$12.69 MX$237
21.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 £2.00
$2.78 MX$51.9
-4.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 £0.98
$1.37 MX$25.50
-4.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.30 £0.98
$2.55 MX$47.55
-49.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.37 £1.03
$2.12 MX$39.58
-35.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 £1.29
$1.94 MX$36.13
-11.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 £1.36
$1.89 MX$35.16
-4.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 £1.04
$1.15 MX$21.37
20.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 £1.25
$1.18 MX$21.98
40.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.58 £16.99
$4.30 MX$80.1
425.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.08 £6.83
$9.95 MX$185
-8.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.80 £2.86
$1.58 MX$29.52
140.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 £2.67
$2.67 MX$49.79
32.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Caernarfon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.44 £4.09
$0.55 MX$10.31
889.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.0 £50.5
$26.62 MX$496
151.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 £3.74
$4.97 MX$92.6
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 £1.78
$3.33 MX$62.1
-28.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.60 £17.76
$5.36 MX$99.8
340.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 £1.51
$1.44 MX$26.92
38.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K £28.9K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
86.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.8K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
74.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Caernarfon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$320 £241
$84.8 MX$1,581
277.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.68 £16.32
$23.41 MX$436
-7.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.41 £30.41
$28.66 MX$534
41.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Caernarfon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.92 £22.52
$57.1 MX$1,063
-47.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.22 £12.20
$5.14 MX$95.8
215.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Caernarfon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,608 £1,210
$207 MX$3,851
678.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.1K £18.1K
$3,927 MX$73.2K
513.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Caernarfon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 £78.9
$43.35 MX$808
141.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.01 £36.88
$41.44 MX$772
18.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 £80.9
$74.2 MX$1,383
44.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.6 £59.2
$89.3 MX$1,664
-11.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Caernarfon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$673 £506
$980 MX$18.3K
-31.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$381 MX$7,099
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,597 £1,202
$1,075 MX$20.0K
48.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Caernarfon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,538 £2,663
$735 MX$13.7K
381.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.09
11.45
-55.55%

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

Last update for Caernarfon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Caernarfon
$382
Playa del Carmen
$137 64.2% $245
Groceries & Markets
Caernarfon
$276
Playa del Carmen
$255 7.6% $21
Eating Out
Caernarfon
$232
Playa del Carmen
$202 12.9% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Caernarfon
$153
Playa del Carmen
$112 27% $41
Getting Around
Caernarfon
$106
Playa del Carmen
$50 52.2% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Caernarfon
$62
Playa del Carmen
$67 8% $5
Accommodation & Living
Caernarfon
- *
Playa del Carmen
$381

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Caernarfon and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caernarfon pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $94 in Caernarfon vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Caernarfon
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
02:52 2:52 AM
21:52 9:52 PM
5 h behind Caernarfon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,500
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Caernarfon Playa del Carmen 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Caernarfon
  • 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
Caernarfon vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Where can you earn more: Caernarfon or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay in Caernarfon is about 4.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Caernarfon and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $673 in Caernarfon versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,608 in Caernarfon versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Caernarfon or in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $94 in Caernarfon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 enough for either Caernarfon or Playa del Carmen?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Caernarfon or in Playa del Carmen?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Caernarfon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Caernarfon vs other spots: cost of living compared

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