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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,346 in Cheltenham versus $1,293 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,549 in Cheltenham versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,752 in Cheltenham versus $3,374 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Cheltenham is roughly 81% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cheltenham is 71% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.91 £17.68

$11.71 MX$198

104.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 £78.6

$46.59 MX$788

128.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.75 £8.69

$11.65 MX$197

0.86%

Cappuccino

$4.70 £3.47

$4.09 MX$69.2

14.91%

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

$2.76 £2.04

$1.37 MX$23.23

101.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.33

$0.83 MX$14.09

116.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 £5.74

$3.35 MX$56.7

131.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 £5.10

$6.91 MX$117

-0.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.26

$1.73 MX$29.20

-1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 £1.24

$2.26 MX$38.21

-25.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 £1.56

$1.77 MX$29.91

18.64%

Eggs

$4.49 £3.32

$2.73 MX$46.19

64.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 £6.16

$9.18 MX$155

-9.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 £7.26

$8.92 MX$151

10.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 £9.92

$12.60 MX$213

6.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 £2.41

$3.02 MX$51.1

7.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.11

$1.57 MX$26.55

-3.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 £1.44

$2.13 MX$35.93

-8.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 £2.53

$2.26 MX$38.28

51.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.21

$2.00 MX$33.88

-18.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.14

$2.06 MX$34.90

-25.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.95

$1.18 MX$19.94

9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 £1.08

$1.20 MX$20.35

21.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.75 £17.56

$4.63 MX$78.4

412.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 £8.15

$10.69 MX$181

3.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.12

$1.62 MX$27.38

76.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 £2.20

$2.88 MX$48.70

3.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.46 £2.56

$0.57 MX$9.69

507.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.9 £70.2

$29.83 MX$504

218.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 £2.67

$5.45 MX$92.1

-33.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.21

$3.70 MX$62.6

-55.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.20 £20.11

$5.98 MX$101

354.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.38

$1.55 MX$26.26

20.00%

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

$39.0K £28.8K

$22.3K MX$377.4K

74.57%

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

$42.1K £31.1K

$25.9K MX$438.7K

62.05%

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

$345 £255

$89.1 MX$1,507

287.10%

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

$17.09 £12.63

$25.04 MX$423

-31.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 £37.63

$31.50 MX$532

61.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.41 £33.57

$67.8 MX$1,146

-33.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.04 £30.33

$28.92 MX$489

41.91%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 £10.35

$5.05 MX$85.4

177.23%

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

$2,048 £1,514

$225 MX$3,803

810.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K £18.5K

$4,222 MX$71.4K

493.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 £76.5

$47.44 MX$802

118.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 £37.23

$44.98 MX$760

11.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 £81.6

$82.0 MX$1,386

34.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.7 £73.7

$92.1 MX$1,557

8.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 £888

$1,069 MX$18.1K

12.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 £688

$405 MX$6,852

129.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,248 £1,662

$1,935 MX$32.7K

16.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 £1,212

$1,301 MX$22.0K

25.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,902 £4,363

$3,995 MX$67.5K

47.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,719 £4,227

$6,626 MX$112.0K

-13.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,877 £3,605

$749 MX$12.7K

551.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

11.45

-51.62%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: August 29, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,201 in Cheltenham and $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 551% 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: $106 in Cheltenham vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $277 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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 551% higher in Cheltenham, 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: $1,201 in Cheltenham versus $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $106 in Cheltenham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,346 per month in Cheltenham versus $1,293 in Playa del Carmen – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,293 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,346 in Cheltenham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cheltenham 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 81% less than in Cheltenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.