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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,389 in Farnborough versus $1,293 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,654 in Farnborough versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,918 in Farnborough versus $3,374 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Farnborough is roughly 85% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Farnborough is 74% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.65 £14.52

$11.71 MX$198

67.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 £65.9

$46.59 MX$788

91.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.61 £7.10

$11.65 MX$197

-17.51%

Cappuccino

$4.73 £3.50

$4.09 MX$69.2

15.65%

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

$2.73 £2.02

$1.37 MX$23.23

99.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.55

$0.83 MX$14.09

153.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 £5.50

$3.35 MX$56.7

122.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 £4.97

$6.91 MX$117

-2.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 £1.05

$1.73 MX$29.20

-17.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.22

$2.26 MX$38.21

-27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 £2.75

$1.77 MX$29.91

110.17%

Eggs

$3.41 £2.52

$2.73 MX$46.19

24.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.07 £6.71

$9.18 MX$155

-1.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 £6.15

$8.92 MX$151

-6.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 £10.05

$12.60 MX$213

7.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 £1.27

$3.02 MX$51.1

-43.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 £1.38

$1.57 MX$26.55

18.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 £2.18

$2.13 MX$35.93

38.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 £2.20

$2.26 MX$38.28

31.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.21

$2.00 MX$33.88

-18.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.19

$2.06 MX$34.90

-21.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 £0.74

$1.18 MX$19.94

-14.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 £0.44

$1.20 MX$20.35

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.46 £17.34

$4.63 MX$78.4

406.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 £8.59

$10.69 MX$181

8.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 £1.88

$1.62 MX$27.38

56.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 £1.57

$2.88 MX$48.70

-26.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 £1.98

$0.57 MX$9.69

368.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 MX$504

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 £2.25

$5.45 MX$92.1

-44.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 £1.16

$3.70 MX$62.6

-57.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 £8.98

$5.98 MX$101

103.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.45

$1.55 MX$26.26

26.45%

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

$38.6K £28.5K

$22.3K MX$377.4K

72.78%

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

$41.5K £30.7K

$25.9K MX$438.7K

59.90%

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

$165 £122

$89.1 MX$1,507

85.31%

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

$15.09 £11.16

$25.04 MX$423

-39.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.83 £32.40

$31.50 MX$532

39.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 £43.19

$67.8 MX$1,146

-13.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.55 £18.15

$28.92 MX$489

-15.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 £7.20

$5.05 MX$85.4

93.07%

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

$1,303 £963

$225 MX$3,803

479.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K £14.9K

$4,222 MX$71.4K

376.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.6 £68.4

$47.44 MX$802

95.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.11 £30.39

$44.98 MX$760

-8.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £76.3

$82.0 MX$1,386

25.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 £92.3

$92.1 MX$1,557

35.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 £1,248

$1,069 MX$18.1K

57.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 £962

$405 MX$6,852

221.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,558 £1,891

$1,935 MX$32.7K

32.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,433 £1,799

$1,301 MX$22.0K

86.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,995 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,626 MX$112.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,174 £3,085

$749 MX$12.7K

457.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

11.45

-54.93%

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

Last update for Farnborough: August 29, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,688 in Farnborough and $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Farnborough pays 457% 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: $89.0 in Farnborough vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $277, with Farnborough 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

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

Farnborough and Playa del Carmen differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($2,389 vs $1,293 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 457% higher in Farnborough, 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: $1,688 in Farnborough versus $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,303 in Farnborough versus $225 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $89.0 in Farnborough. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,293 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,389 in Farnborough, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Farnborough. 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 85% less than in Farnborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.