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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in Chelmsford versus $1,297 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,898 in Chelmsford versus $2,181 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,334 in Chelmsford versus $3,065 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Chelmsford is roughly 90% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chelmsford is 84% above, Playa del Carmen is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 £15.02

$11.73 MX$203

72.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 £61.0

$41.62 MX$720

97.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.40 £6.99

$10.64 MX$184

-11.65%

Cappuccino

$4.54 £3.37

$3.52 MX$60.9

28.98%

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

$3.01 £2.23

$1.51 MX$26.12

99.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.40

$0.97 MX$16.84

93.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.40 £5.50

$2.95 MX$51.0

150.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 £4.75

$4.45 MX$77.0

43.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.38 MX$23.93

23.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.89 MX$32.72

1.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.64 MX$28.32

15.24%

Eggs

$3.57 £2.65

$2.51 MX$43.34

42.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.68 £7.20

$8.34 MX$144

16.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 £6.98

$8.34 MX$144

12.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.48 £12.25

$10.73 MX$186

53.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 £1.78

$2.60 MX$45.04

-8.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.46 MX$25.20

-13.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 £2.55

$1.90 MX$32.87

80.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 £3.57

$2.08 MX$35.91

131.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.78 MX$30.71

-8.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £0.99

$2.19 MX$37.80

-39.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.04 MX$17.99

10.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.08 MX$18.62

53.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.18 £14.26

$4.08 MX$70.6

370.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 £9.08

$10.32 MX$178

18.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 £2.11

$1.71 MX$29.61

66.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 £2.76

$2.58 MX$44.54

43.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.06 £3.02

$0.51 MX$8.81

696.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 £53.1

$26.46 MX$458

170.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.80 £3.57

$3.26 MX$56.4

47.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.25

$2.49 MX$43.09

-32.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.68 £19.83

$3.25 MX$56.2

720.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.31 MX$22.61

48.09%

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

$35.6K £26.4K

$30.3K MX$523.7K

17.50%

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

$38.0K £28.3K

$23.4K MX$405.3K

62.28%

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

$206 £153

$82.9 MX$1,433

149.08%

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

$15.29 £11.36

$22.22 MX$384

-31.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.30 £26.24

$29.34 MX$507

20.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 £39.17

$51.6 MX$893

2.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.32 MX$317

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 £9.97

$5.07 MX$87.6

164.50%

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

$1,386 £1,030

$201 MX$3,473

590.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K £9,441

$5,212 MX$90.1K

143.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 £76.8

$36.92 MX$639

179.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.94 £31.91

$39.79 MX$688

7.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £84.6

$78.5 MX$1,357

45.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 £89.0

$87.1 MX$1,506

37.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 £1,074

$973 MX$16.8K

48.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 £916

$468 MX$8,090

163.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 £2,052

$1,641 MX$28.4K

68.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,562 £1,904

$1,221 MX$21.1K

109.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,946 MX$68.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,498 MX$112.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,245 £2,412

$664 MX$11.5K

388.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.73

11.42

-49.82%

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

Last update for Chelmsford: May 30, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,445 in Chelmsford and $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chelmsford pays 389% 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: $82.0 in Chelmsford vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $249 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

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

Chelmsford and Playa del Carmen differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($2,462 vs $1,297 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Chelmsford pays 389% 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: $1,445 in Chelmsford versus $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,386 in Chelmsford 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 28% higher in Chelmsford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,297 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,462 in Chelmsford, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Chelmsford. 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.

Safety-wise, Chelmsford 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 90% less than in Chelmsford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.