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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Dudley versus $1,297 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Dudley versus $2,181 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,433 in Dudley versus $3,065 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Dudley is roughly 57% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dudley is 52% above, Playa del Carmen is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.54 £15.30

$11.73 MX$203

75.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 £59.7

$41.62 MX$719

92.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 £7.19

$10.64 MX$184

-9.30%

Cappuccino

$4.63 £3.45

$3.52 MX$60.8

31.53%

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

$2.06 £1.53

$1.51 MX$26.09

36.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.23

$0.97 MX$16.82

70.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.29 £3.94

$2.95 MX$51.0

79.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 £3.98

$4.45 MX$77.0

20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.38 MX$23.90

20.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.89 MX$32.69

-18.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 £1.59

$1.64 MX$28.29

29.88%

Eggs

$3.62 £2.69

$2.51 MX$43.30

44.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 £7.22

$8.34 MX$144

16.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.57 £5.64

$8.34 MX$144

-9.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 £10.54

$10.73 MX$185

31.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 £1.91

$2.60 MX$45.00

-1.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 £1.33

$1.46 MX$25.18

22.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 £1.54

$1.90 MX$32.84

8.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 £1.95

$2.08 MX$35.88

25.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 £0.72

$1.78 MX$30.68

-46.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 £1.05

$2.19 MX$37.76

-35.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.04 MX$17.97

26.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 £0.97

$1.08 MX$18.60

21.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.25 £12.11

$4.08 MX$70.5

298.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.39 £8.48

$10.32 MX$178

10.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 £2.58

$1.71 MX$29.59

102.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 £2.12

$2.58 MX$44.50

10.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.24 £2.41

$0.51 MX$8.81

535.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.3 £65.8

$26.46 MX$457

233.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 £4.11

$3.26 MX$56.4

69.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 £0.91

$2.49 MX$43.05

-51.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.46 £16.73

$3.25 MX$56.1

591.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.31 MX$22.59

45.04%

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

$37.9K £28.2K

$30.3K MX$523.2K

25.12%

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

$39.3K £29.2K

$23.4K MX$404.9K

67.54%

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

$292 £218

$82.9 MX$1,432

252.32%

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

$17.50 £13.03

$22.22 MX$384

-21.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.95 £26.79

$29.34 MX$507

22.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.70 £15.42

$51.6 MX$892

-59.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 £15.16

$18.32 MX$317

11.08%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 £10.98

$5.07 MX$87.5

190.73%

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

$1,622 £1,208

$201 MX$3,470

707.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K £14.2K

$5,212 MX$90.1K

266.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 £54.7

$36.92 MX$638

98.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.20 £36.66

$39.79 MX$688

23.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 £51.5

$78.5 MX$1,356

-11.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.2 £68.7

$87.1 MX$1,505

5.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 £920

$973 MX$16.8K

26.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 £614

$468 MX$8,082

76.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 £1,499

$1,641 MX$28.4K

22.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 £1,257

$1,221 MX$21.1K

38.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,822 £4,337

$3,946 MX$68.2K

47.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,498 MX$112.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,509 £1,869

$664 MX$11.5K

277.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.76

11.42

-49.56%

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

Last update for Dudley: June 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,235 in Dudley and $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dudley pays 278% 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: $80.0 in Dudley vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $282 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

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

Dudley and Playa del Carmen differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($2,042 vs $1,297 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Dudley pays 278% 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: $1,235 in Dudley versus $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,622 in Dudley 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 13% higher in Dudley. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,297 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,042 in Dudley, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Dudley. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Dudley. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.