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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,084 in Dunfermline versus $1,305 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,100 in Dunfermline versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,117 in Dunfermline versus $3,362 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Dunfermline is roughly 60% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dunfermline is 51% above, Playa del Carmen is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.06 £14.83

$11.96 MX$203

67.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 £60.3

$47.38 MX$804

72.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 £6.80

$11.75 MX$199

-21.62%

Cappuccino

$4.41 £3.26

$4.12 MX$70.0

7.04%

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

$2.64 £1.95

$1.40 MX$23.74

88.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 £1.04

$0.91 MX$15.48

54.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 £4.13

$3.21 MX$54.4

74.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 £4.56

$7.07 MX$120

-12.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.45

$1.68 MX$28.44

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 £0.92

$2.15 MX$36.48

-41.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 £1.84

$1.77 MX$30.10

40.11%

Eggs

$4.20 £3.11

$2.82 MX$47.76

48.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 £5.73

$9.20 MX$156

-15.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.70 £6.43

$9.23 MX$157

-5.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 £7.63

$12.64 MX$214

-18.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 £1.79

$2.95 MX$50.1

-17.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 £0.98

$1.58 MX$26.79

-15.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 £2.09

$2.22 MX$37.70

27.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 £2.05

$2.36 MX$40.09

17.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 £0.84

$1.99 MX$33.81

-42.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 £0.97

$1.98 MX$33.58

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.89

$1.24 MX$21.04

-2.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.22

$1.21 MX$20.55

37.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 £17.50

$4.60 MX$78.1

414.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 £8.32

$10.52 MX$178

7.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 £1.67

$1.69 MX$28.70

33.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 £1.87

$2.77 MX$47.06

-8.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.33 £2.46

$0.60 MX$10.22

455.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.9 £59.0

$29.70 MX$504

168.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 £3.49

$5.24 MX$88.8

-9.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.82 £2.82

$3.65 MX$61.9

4.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.02 £14.79

$5.78 MX$98.1

246.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.45

$1.54 MX$26.09

27.92%

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

$39.0K £28.8K

$22.8K MX$386.8K

71.07%

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

$39.6K £29.3K

$25.8K MX$437.9K

53.49%

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

$244 £180

$90.7 MX$1,538

168.61%

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

$13.32 £9.85

$25.19 MX$427

-47.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.35 £32.04

$31.75 MX$539

36.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 £37.15

$68.8 MX$1,167

-26.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.36 £9.14

$29.37 MX$498

-57.92%

Cinema Ticket

$13.70 £10.13

$4.86 MX$82.5

181.89%

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

$1,438 £1,063

$226 MX$3,828

537.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K £14.2K

$4,194 MX$71.1K

356.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 £40.36

$47.38 MX$804

15.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 £40.46

$43.45 MX$737

26.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.0

$80.2 MX$1,361

31.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 £65.6

$91.4 MX$1,550

-2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 £753

$1,086 MX$18.4K

-6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 £652

$409 MX$6,933

115.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 £945

$1,972 MX$33.5K

-35.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 £1,047

$1,281 MX$21.7K

10.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,126 £1,571

$4,046 MX$68.6K

-47.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,721 £2,011

$6,704 MX$113.7K

-59.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,015 £2,229

$773 MX$13.1K

289.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

11.45

-52.84%

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

Last update for Dunfermline: September 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,019 in Dunfermline and $1,086 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunfermline pays 290% 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 Dunfermline vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $278, with Dunfermline cheaper for home cooking.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Dunfermline. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 290% higher in Dunfermline, 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: $1,019 in Dunfermline versus $1,086 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 169% less than in Dunfermline. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,438 in Dunfermline versus $226 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,305 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,084 in Dunfermline, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Dunfermline. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,305 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Dunfermline 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 60% less than in Dunfermline. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.