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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,583 in Canterbury versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,798 in Canterbury versus $2,125 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,013 in Canterbury versus $2,990 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Canterbury is roughly 105% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Canterbury is 94% above, Playa del Carmen is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.39 £20.49

$11.72 MX$204

133.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 £60.4

$41.89 MX$731

92.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 £7.49

$10.51 MX$183

-4.66%

Cappuccino

$4.42 £3.31

$3.59 MX$62.5

23.12%

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

$1.83 £1.37

$1.51 MX$26.31

21.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 £1.29

$0.92 MX$15.96

86.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 £4.93

$2.96 MX$51.6

122.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.22 £4.66

$4.41 MX$76.9

41.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.40 MX$24.35

-1.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.88 MX$32.87

-29.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.56 MX$27.19

26.92%

Eggs

$3.59 £2.68

$2.61 MX$45.50

37.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 £7.35

$8.32 MX$145

18.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.27 £6.19

$8.35 MX$146

-0.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 £9.84

$10.86 MX$189

21.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 £2.00

$2.71 MX$47.31

-1.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 £1.11

$1.51 MX$26.25

-1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 £2.09

$1.87 MX$32.67

49.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 £1.99

$2.19 MX$38.19

21.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.86 MX$32.40

-23.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.04

$2.23 MX$38.90

-38.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 £0.53

$1.07 MX$18.63

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.09 MX$18.94

40.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.01 £14.97

$4.19 MX$73.0

377.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 £8.36

$10.43 MX$182

7.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 £1.69

$1.66 MX$28.91

36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 £3.45

$2.61 MX$45.56

76.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.33 £2.49

$0.54 MX$9.45

516.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$225 £168

$26.16 MX$456

759.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 £3.83

$3.08 MX$53.7

66.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 £1.15

$2.40 MX$41.94

-36.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.06 £11.26

$3.13 MX$54.5

381.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.31 MX$22.87

49.62%

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

$38.5K £28.8K

$29.8K MX$519.9K

29.17%

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

$42.3K £31.6K

$23.3K MX$406.8K

81.17%

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

$228 £171

$81.3 MX$1,418

180.51%

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

$19.13 £14.31

$22.56 MX$393

-15.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.32 £33.15

$30.05 MX$524

47.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.04 £34.44

$52.9 MX$923

-12.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.73 £27.48

$18.39 MX$321

99.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 £10.03

$4.92 MX$85.8

172.56%

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

$1,113 £832

$201 MX$3,502

454.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K £12.2K

$5,175 MX$90.2K

214.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 £62.2

$35.92 MX$627

131.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.42

$40.13 MX$700

24.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.5

$79.7 MX$1,390

36.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.8 £72.4

$86.5 MX$1,508

11.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 £998

$978 MX$17.1K

36.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 £876

$470 MX$8,206

148.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,198 £1,645

$1,651 MX$28.8K

33.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 £1,401

$1,203 MX$21.0K

55.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,151 £3,853

$3,953 MX$69.0K

30.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,322 £3,233

$6,607 MX$115.2K

-34.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,183 £2,381

$677 MX$11.8K

370.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

11.42

-51.58%

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

Last update for Canterbury: July 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,334 in Canterbury and $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canterbury pays 370% 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: $81.0 in Canterbury vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Canterbury. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 370% higher in Canterbury, 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: $1,334 in Canterbury versus $978 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,113 in Canterbury versus $201 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 10% higher in Canterbury. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,583 in Canterbury, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Canterbury. 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.

Safety-wise, Canterbury and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Canterbury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.