Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,073 in Durham, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,073 in Durham versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Durham $2,073
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,286 in Durham versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Durham $3,286
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,498 in Durham versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Durham $4,498
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Durham is roughly 71% 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: Durham is 55% above, Playa del Carmen is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 £14.79

$10.97 MX$201

78.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 £70.6

$44.85 MX$823

108.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 £8.61

$11.92 MX$219

-4.36%

Cappuccino

$4.56 £3.44

$3.80 MX$69.9

20.00%

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

$2.54 £1.92

$1.31 MX$24.08

93.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.54

$0.86 MX$15.72

137.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.59

$3.21 MX$59.0

89.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.03

$5.01 MX$92.0

6.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.46 MX$26.77

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.17

$2.33 MX$42.72

-33.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.44 MX$26.48

110.42%

Eggs

$4.37 £3.30

$2.46 MX$45.20

77.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 £7.57

$7.70 MX$141

30.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.69

$7.89 MX$145

12.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 £16.13

$12.80 MX$235

66.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.21

$2.92 MX$53.6

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 £1.91

$1.42 MX$26.11

78.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.08

$2.57 MX$47.10

7.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 £3.84

$2.14 MX$39.24

137.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.18

$1.95 MX$35.75

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.29

$1.94 MX$35.55

-12.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.80

$1.15 MX$21.13

-7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.42

$1.22 MX$22.42

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 £17.84

$4.38 MX$80.3

439.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 £8.04

$9.85 MX$181

8.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.50

$1.54 MX$28.23

114.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.38

$2.72 MX$49.86

15.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 £2.44

$0.52 MX$9.64

521.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.9 £65.7

$27.42 MX$503

217.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 £4.83

$4.91 MX$90.2

30.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$3.52 MX$64.7

-45.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 £17.89

$5.69 MX$104

316.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.42

$1.54 MX$28.27

22.08%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

78.19%

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

$41.1K £31.1K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

67.86%

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

$265 £200

$83.6 MX$1,535

216.39%

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

$15.21 £11.49

$24.03 MX$441

-36.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.95 £32.45

$29.33 MX$539

46.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.78 £35.35

$64.9 MX$1,191

-27.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$12.51 £9.45

$5.09 MX$93.4

145.78%

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

$1,300 £982

$208 MX$3,813

525.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £19.1K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

523.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £80.3

$44.55 MX$818

138.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 £53.9

$42.06 MX$772

69.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £86.1

$75.5 MX$1,387

50.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £73.5

$91.4 MX$1,678

6.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,539 £1,163

$986 MX$18.1K

56.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 £562

$385 MX$7,072

93.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 £2,011

$1,713 MX$31.5K

55.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 £1,183

$1,108 MX$20.4K

41.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,034 £3,804

$4,016 MX$73.7K

25.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,919

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-38.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,064 £1,559

$758 MX$13.9K

172.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

11.45

-54.76%

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

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durham

$743 35.7%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 48.2% $358

Groceries & Markets

Durham

$348 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 25.2% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham

$323 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 57.6% $186

Eating Out

Durham

$305 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 33.1% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Durham

$175 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 34.8% $61

Getting Around

Durham

$116 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 55.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Durham

$72 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 4.5% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,539 in Durham and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham pays 172% 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: $93.0 in Durham vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $260 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Durham

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

01:33 1:33 AM

6 h behind Durham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,100

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Durham Playa del Carmen 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Durham
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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

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

Durham and Playa del Carmen differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($2,073 vs $1,215 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 172% higher in Durham, 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: $1,539 in Durham versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,073 per month in Durham versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 217% less than in Durham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,073 in Durham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Durham. 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, Durham 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 71% less than in Durham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.