Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,645

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Edinburgh vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,645
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Edinburgh $4,021
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,397 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,397
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Edinburgh costs about 120% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Edinburgh sits 94% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.35 £18.18

$10.92 MX$205

122.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.6

$43.37 MX$814

142.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.81

$11.78 MX$221

-11.12%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.75

$3.81 MX$71.5

31.76%

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

$2.41 £1.80

$1.28 MX$24.07

88.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$0.78 MX$14.70

180.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 £6.00

$3.17 MX$59.5

153.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.91

$4.93 MX$92.7

60.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.41 MX$26.40

24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 £1.74

$2.22 MX$41.62

4.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.42 MX$26.61

65.49%

Eggs

$5.13 £3.83

$2.52 MX$47.36

103.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.76

$7.26 MX$136

24.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.92

$7.70 MX$144

20.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 £12.08

$12.69 MX$238

27.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$2.78 MX$52.3

9.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.37 MX$25.68

36.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.50

$2.55 MX$47.89

31.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 £2.80

$2.12 MX$39.86

76.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.94 MX$36.39

5.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.89 MX$35.41

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.15 MX$21.53

15.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.18 MX$22.13

60.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.87 £17.82

$4.30 MX$80.6

455.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 £8.18

$9.95 MX$187

10.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.36

$1.58 MX$29.73

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$2.67 MX$50.1

20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.34

$0.55 MX$10.39

469.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 £74.5

$26.62 MX$500

274.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.07

$4.97 MX$93.3

9.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 £1.42

$3.33 MX$62.5

-42.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.50 £21.28

$5.36 MX$101

431.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.44 MX$27.11

43.06%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

85.02%

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

$39.7K £29.7K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

69.25%

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

$329 £246

$84.8 MX$1,592

288.29%

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

$16.81 £12.55

$23.41 MX$439

-28.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 £32.20

$28.66 MX$538

50.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 £31.24

$57.1 MX$1,071

-26.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.33 £17.42

$28.91 MX$543

-19.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 £10.95

$5.14 MX$96.5

185.41%

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

$1,901 £1,419

$207 MX$3,878

820.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K £19.2K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

556.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 £61.4

$43.35 MX$814

89.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 £37.34

$41.44 MX$778

20.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.9

$74.2 MX$1,393

42.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$89.3 MX$1,676

29.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 £1,263

$980 MX$18.4K

72.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 £900

$381 MX$7,150

216.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,959 £2,209

$1,708 MX$32.1K

73.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 £1,631

$1,075 MX$20.2K

103.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,388 £4,769

$3,943 MX$74.0K

62.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,370

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-26.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,632 £2,712

$735 MX$13.8K

394.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

11.45

-58.34%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 68.4% $824

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 64.8% $252

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$361 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 43.9% $158

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 23.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$159 6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.7% $47

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$127 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 60.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$71 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.4% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Edinburgh versus $980 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 in Edinburgh are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

00:00 12:00 AM

5 h behind Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Edinburgh Playa del Carmen 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
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

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

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Edinburgh and $1,806 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,691 in Edinburgh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Edinburgh and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,645 in Edinburgh and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 54% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Edinburgh at $2,645. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,645 in Edinburgh. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edinburgh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.