Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chester and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,365 in Chester, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Chester
Learn more

Chester Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,365

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,365 per month in Chester vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chester $2,365
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,402 per month in Chester vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chester $3,402
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,438 per month in Chester vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chester $4,438
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Chester costs about 95% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chester sits 75% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 £14.74

$10.76 MX$199

82.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.2 £65.4

$43.03 MX$795

102.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 £7.82

$11.79 MX$218

-11.54%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.69

$3.87 MX$71.4

27.13%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$1.37 MX$25.29

81.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.84 MX$15.44

117.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 £4.86

$3.10 MX$57.3

109.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 £4.92

$5.07 MX$93.6

29.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.44 MX$26.55

17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$2.23 MX$41.23

-19.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 £1.78

$1.47 MX$27.17

61.90%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.99

$2.53 MX$46.71

57.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 £6.46

$7.30 MX$135

17.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.21 £6.16

$7.86 MX$145

4.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 £10.33

$12.79 MX$236

7.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.90 MX$53.6

3.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.44 MX$26.53

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 £2.12

$2.55 MX$47.07

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$2.06 MX$38.03

40.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.00 MX$36.97

-3.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$2.01 MX$37.07

-27.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.19 MX$22.02

7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.26 MX$23.23

23.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.06 £17.30

$4.40 MX$81.4

424.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 £8.36

$9.59 MX$177

16.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 £2.13

$1.59 MX$29.41

78.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 £2.44

$2.81 MX$51.9

15.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.96

$0.57 MX$10.47

357.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 £51.5

$27.82 MX$514

146.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 £4.00

$4.98 MX$92.1

7.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 £1.04

$3.50 MX$64.6

-60.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.23 £16.68

$5.40 MX$99.8

311.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$1.47 MX$27.08

40.14%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

80.22%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

69.02%

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

$339 £254

$84.2 MX$1,556

302.07%

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

$20.84 £15.64

$23.99 MX$443

-13.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.75 £30.58

$29.02 MX$536

40.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.21 £36.17

$63.0 MX$1,164

-23.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.02 £11.27

$29.14 MX$539

-48.46%

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 £9.96

$4.94 MX$91.3

168.83%

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

$1,591 £1,194

$204 MX$3,763

681.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K £11.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

298.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 £65.9

$43.60 MX$806

101.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.24 £30.94

$43.12 MX$797

-4.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 £74.4

$75.8 MX$1,400

30.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 £66.5

$88.6 MX$1,637

0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 £1,003

$1,008 MX$18.6K

32.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 £789

$374 MX$6,911

181.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 £1,479

$1,708 MX$31.6K

15.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 £1,208

$1,106 MX$20.4K

45.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-2.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,289 £2,467

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-46.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,987 £2,991

$754 MX$13.9K

428.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

11.45

-55.02%

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

Last update for Chester: October 12, 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

Chester

$1.1K 44.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 64.4% $677

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chester

$400 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 65.7% $263

Eating Out

Chester

$310 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 34.8% $108

Groceries & Markets

Chester

$295 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 12.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Chester

$143 6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 20.8% $30

Getting Around

Chester

$91 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 42.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chester

$75 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 2.5% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,337 in Chester versus $1,008 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 429% higher in Chester, 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 $87.0 in Chester versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chester

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

22:30 10:30 PM

6 h behind Chester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chester Playa del Carmen 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chester
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

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

Chester costs about 95% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,548 per month in Chester and $1,816 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,591 per month in Chester and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Chester, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Chester at $2,365. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $2,365 in Chester. 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, Chester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.