Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chelmsford and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,509 in Chelmsford, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Chelmsford
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Chelmsford Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Chelmsford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,509

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,509 in Chelmsford versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Chelmsford $2,509
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,892 in Chelmsford versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Chelmsford $3,892
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,275 in Chelmsford versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Chelmsford $5,275
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Chelmsford is roughly 107% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chelmsford is 86% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.94 £20.21

$10.76 MX$199

150.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 £44.23

$43.03 MX$795

37.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 £6.86

$11.79 MX$218

-22.48%

Cappuccino

$4.65 £3.49

$3.87 MX$71.4

20.16%

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

$3.07 £2.31

$1.37 MX$25.29

124.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$0.84 MX$15.44

103.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 £5.39

$3.10 MX$57.3

131.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 £5.30

$5.07 MX$93.6

39.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.44 MX$26.55

15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 £1.70

$2.23 MX$41.23

1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 £2.09

$1.47 MX$27.17

89.80%

Eggs

$3.48 £2.61

$2.53 MX$46.71

37.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 £6.10

$7.30 MX$135

11.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 £6.29

$7.86 MX$145

6.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 £10.62

$12.79 MX$236

10.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 £1.70

$2.90 MX$53.6

-22.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 £1.09

$1.44 MX$26.53

1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 £2.74

$2.55 MX$47.07

43.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 £2.48

$2.06 MX$38.03

60.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.00 MX$36.97

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$2.01 MX$37.07

-24.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.19 MX$22.02

-2.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.26 MX$23.23

43.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.50 £16.88

$4.40 MX$81.4

411.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 £9.01

$9.59 MX$177

25.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$1.59 MX$29.41

81.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 £2.60

$2.81 MX$51.9

23.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.95 £2.96

$0.57 MX$10.47

592.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.1 £51.8

$27.82 MX$514

148.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 £3.58

$4.98 MX$92.1

-4.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 £1.26

$3.50 MX$64.6

-51.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.93 £20.20

$5.40 MX$99.8

398.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.47 MX$27.08

38.10%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

80.13%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

68.36%

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

$261 £196

$84.2 MX$1,556

210.50%

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

$14.64 £10.98

$23.99 MX$443

-38.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.74 £26.07

$29.02 MX$536

19.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 £37.93

$63.0 MX$1,164

-19.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 £12.84

$4.94 MX$91.3

246.56%

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

$1,881 £1,412

$204 MX$3,763

824.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K £9,885

$3,941 MX$72.8K

234.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.9 £74.2

$43.60 MX$806

126.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.37 £32.53

$43.12 MX$797

0.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 £71.8

$75.8 MX$1,400

26.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 £64.5

$88.6 MX$1,637

-2.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 £1,182

$1,008 MX$18.6K

56.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 £898

$374 MX$6,911

220.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,698 £2,024

$1,708 MX$31.6K

57.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 £1,883

$1,106 MX$20.4K

126.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 £2,200

$754 MX$13.9K

288.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

11.45

-54.50%

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

Last update for Chelmsford: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chelmsford

$1.2K 47.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 68.8% $823

Eating Out

Chelmsford

$368 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 45% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chelmsford

$311 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 55.9% $174

Groceries & Markets

Chelmsford

$305 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 15.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Chelmsford

$146 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 22.5% $33

Getting Around

Chelmsford

$98 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 46.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chelmsford

$85 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 14.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,575 in Chelmsford and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chelmsford pays 289% 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: $59.0 in Chelmsford vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chelmsford

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

6 h behind Chelmsford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,194

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 18, 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 18, 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

Chelmsford Playa del Carmen 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chelmsford
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

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

Chelmsford and Playa del Carmen differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($2,509 vs $1,210 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 289% higher in Chelmsford, 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: $1,575 in Chelmsford versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,881 in Chelmsford versus $204 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 18% higher in Chelmsford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,509 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 107% less than in Chelmsford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.