Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chatham and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,947 in Chatham, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Chatham
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Chatham Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Chatham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,947

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,947 per month in Chatham vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chatham $2,947
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,017 per month in Chatham vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chatham $4,017
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $5,088 per month in Chatham vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chatham $5,088
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Chatham costs about 145% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Chatham sits 118% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.40 £10.05

$10.86 MX$201

23.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 £71.2

$44.21 MX$817

114.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 £7.39

$11.76 MX$217

-16.24%

Cappuccino

$3.75 £2.82

$3.68 MX$68.0

1.90%

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

$2.95 £2.21

$1.34 MX$24.79

120.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.26

$0.82 MX$15.24

104.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.38 £4.78

$3.06 MX$56.6

108.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 £5.12

$4.94 MX$91.2

38.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.47 MX$27.17

29.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 £1.57

$2.22 MX$40.95

-5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.48 MX$27.32

41.89%

Eggs

$4.09 £3.07

$2.49 MX$45.99

64.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 £8.06

$7.52 MX$139

42.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.97

$7.96 MX$147

16.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.54 £11.66

$12.57 MX$232

23.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.33

$2.78 MX$51.3

11.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.43 MX$26.37

34.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 £2.03

$2.62 MX$48.37

3.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$2.14 MX$39.49

71.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$2.02 MX$37.38

-0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 £1.37

$1.99 MX$36.74

-8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.14 MX$21.01

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.20 MX$22.18

42.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.64 £16.24

$4.26 MX$78.7

407.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 £8.21

$10.02 MX$185

9.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.29

$1.54 MX$28.41

98.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 £1.78

$2.66 MX$49.17

-10.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 £3.03

$0.53 MX$9.73

662.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 £85.6

$27.51 MX$508

314.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 £3.83

$4.90 MX$90.6

4.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.94

$3.43 MX$63.5

-24.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.18 £15.14

$5.38 MX$99.4

275.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$1.45 MX$26.76

44.14%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

83.88%

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

$37.1K £27.8K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

61.11%

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

$287 £215

$85.4 MX$1,577

236.27%

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

$16.80 £12.61

$23.46 MX$434

-28.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.54 £19.91

$28.43 MX$525

-6.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$114 £85.8

$62.2 MX$1,149

83.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.37 £7.03

$28.68 MX$530

-67.33%

Cinema Ticket

$17.40 £13.05

$5.10 MX$94.3

241.18%

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

$2,080 £1,561

$201 MX$3,715

934.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K £22.8K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

671.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.6 £68.7

$44.39 MX$820

106.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.69 £34.28

$41.35 MX$764

10.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.4

$72.7 MX$1,344

43.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 £68.6

$89.6 MX$1,656

2.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 £1,538

$979 MX$18.1K

109.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 £1,201

$373 MX$6,887

329.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,430 £1,823

$1,681 MX$31.1K

44.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 £1,568

$1,095 MX$20.2K

90.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,877 £5,909

$3,949 MX$73.0K

99.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,449 £5,588

$6,137 MX$113.4K

21.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,972 £2,230

$738 MX$13.6K

303.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

11.45

-55.28%

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

Last update for Chatham: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chatham

$1.6K 54.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 76.7% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chatham

$330 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 58.5% $193

Groceries & Markets

Chatham

$323 11%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 20% $65

Eating Out

Chatham

$246 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 18.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Chatham

$150 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chatham

$149 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 51.5% $77

Getting Around

Chatham

$148 5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 65.1% $97

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,050 in Chatham versus $979 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 303% higher in Chatham, 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 $95.0 in Chatham versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chatham

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

18:48 6:48 PM

6 h behind Chatham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,792

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chatham Playa del Carmen 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chatham
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

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

Chatham costs about 145% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,421 per month in Chatham and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,947 in Chatham and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 145%.

Public transport costs about 315% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Chatham at $2,947. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chatham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,947 in Chatham. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chatham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.