Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,803 in Elgin, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Elgin
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Elgin Living Index
59

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

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Elgin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,803

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,803 in Elgin versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Elgin $1,803
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,850 in Elgin versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Elgin $2,850
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,896 in Elgin versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Elgin $3,896
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Elgin is roughly 50% 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: Elgin is 33% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.57 £16.19

$10.86 MX$201

98.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 £53.9

$44.21 MX$817

62.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 £7.69

$11.76 MX$217

-12.84%

Cappuccino

$4.55 £3.41

$3.68 MX$68.0

23.64%

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

$1.97 £1.48

$1.34 MX$24.79

47.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 £0.97

$0.82 MX$15.24

57.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.06 MX$56.6

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 £4.51

$4.94 MX$91.2

21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.47 MX$27.17

13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.22 MX$40.95

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.48 MX$27.32

39.86%

Eggs

$3.84 £2.88

$2.49 MX$45.99

54.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 £6.91

$7.52 MX$139

22.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.97

$7.96 MX$147

16.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 £12.94

$12.57 MX$232

37.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.78 MX$51.3

17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$1.43 MX$26.37

9.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.25

$2.62 MX$48.37

14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 £2.48

$2.14 MX$39.49

54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$2.02 MX$37.38

-5.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.99 MX$36.74

-19.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.14 MX$21.01

5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.20 MX$22.18

35.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.90 £17.93

$4.26 MX$78.7

461.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 £8.37

$10.02 MX$185

11.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 £2.51

$1.54 MX$28.41

117.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 £2.51

$2.66 MX$49.17

25.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 £2.67

$0.53 MX$9.73

571.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 £91.3

$27.51 MX$508

342.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 £4.27

$4.90 MX$90.6

16.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 £0.89

$3.43 MX$63.5

-65.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.07 £19.56

$5.38 MX$99.4

384.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 £1.63

$1.45 MX$26.76

50.34%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

79.95%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

77.06%

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

$200 £150

$85.4 MX$1,577

134.28%

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

$20.02 £15.02

$23.46 MX$434

-14.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.17 £30.14

$28.43 MX$525

41.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.00 £27.76

$62.2 MX$1,149

-40.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.47 £4.10

$28.68 MX$530

-80.93%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 £8.32

$5.10 MX$94.3

117.45%

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

$937 £703

$201 MX$3,715

365.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.5K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

457.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.15 £27.12

$44.39 MX$820

-18.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 £34.06

$41.35 MX$764

9.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.8

$72.7 MX$1,344

46.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 £68.3

$89.6 MX$1,656

1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 £681

$979 MX$18.1K

-7.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 £443

$373 MX$6,887

58.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 £1,339

$1,681 MX$31.1K

6.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 £900

$1,095 MX$20.2K

9.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,068 £3,802

$3,949 MX$73.0K

28.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,897

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-37.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,018 £1,514

$738 MX$13.6K

173.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

11.45

-58.17%

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

Last update for Elgin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elgin

$590 32.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 36.8% $217

Groceries & Markets

Elgin

$316 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 18.2% $57

Eating Out

Elgin

$305 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 34.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin

$260 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 47.2% $123

Getting Around

Elgin

$148 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 65% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin

$126 7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 11.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin

$59 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 22.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $908 in Elgin and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elgin pays 174% 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: $72.0 in Elgin vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Elgin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

12:14 12:14 PM

6 h behind Elgin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,040

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 22, 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 22, 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

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Between locations

Elgin Playa del Carmen 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin
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

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

Elgin and Playa del Carmen differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,803 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 174% higher in Elgin, 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: $908 in Elgin versus $979 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 342% less than in Elgin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $937 in Elgin versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,803 in Elgin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Elgin. 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, Elgin 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 50% less than in Elgin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.