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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,389 in Farnham versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,528 in Farnham versus $2,184 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,667 in Farnham versus $3,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Farnham is roughly 163% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Farnham is 153% above, Playa del Carmen is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.01 £19.99

$11.94 MX$208

126.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 £65.2

$42.75 MX$744

106.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.84 £10.24

$10.59 MX$184

30.69%

Cappuccino

$7.26 £5.37

$3.62 MX$63.0

100.55%

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

$2.90 £2.14

$1.47 MX$25.54

97.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 £1.42

$0.94 MX$16.41

103.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 £4.85

$3.09 MX$53.8

111.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 £4.44

$4.46 MX$77.6

34.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.47

$1.43 MX$24.80

39.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 £1.86

$1.88 MX$32.79

34.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 £1.49

$1.63 MX$28.34

23.93%

Eggs

$4.02 £2.97

$2.64 MX$45.99

52.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 £7.17

$8.21 MX$143

18.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 £6.63

$8.29 MX$144

8.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.07 £10.41

$11.10 MX$193

26.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 £2.33

$2.65 MX$46.14

18.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$1.50 MX$26.11

6.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 £2.29

$1.99 MX$34.59

55.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 £2.33

$2.08 MX$36.13

51.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.79 MX$31.11

-6.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 £1.57

$2.18 MX$37.87

-2.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 £1.12

$1.08 MX$18.73

40.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 £1.13

$1.04 MX$18.04

47.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.30 £14.28

$3.97 MX$69.1

386.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 £7.92

$10.20 MX$178

4.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.08

$1.73 MX$30.04

61.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.39

$2.50 MX$43.46

29.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.06 £3.00

$0.52 MX$9.02

680.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.9 £65.1

$26.97 MX$469

225.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £3.99

$3.14 MX$54.7

71.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 £1.19

$2.40 MX$41.80

-32.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.79 £16.86

$3.09 MX$53.7

637.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.39

$1.27 MX$22.16

48.03%

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

$39.0K £28.8K

$30.9K MX$537.3K

26.22%

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

$40.4K £29.9K

$23.3K MX$405.7K

73.20%

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

$295 £218

$82.0 MX$1,427

259.88%

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

$17.24 £12.76

$22.45 MX$391

-23.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.27 £32.76

$29.66 MX$516

49.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 £44.47

$51.9 MX$903

15.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.01 £12.59

$18.67 MX$325

-8.89%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 £9.68

$4.97 MX$86.5

163.18%

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

$1,575 £1,165

$198 MX$3,442

696.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K £13.5K

$5,273 MX$91.7K

246.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.6 £61.9

$36.34 MX$632

130.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 £32.29

$40.05 MX$697

8.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 £68.1

$79.9 MX$1,390

15.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 £72.3

$88.9 MX$1,547

9.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 £1,217

$963 MX$16.8K

70.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 £1,440

$465 MX$8,086

318.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,420 £1,791

$1,596 MX$27.8K

51.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,629 £1,946

$1,209 MX$21.0K

117.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$68.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,867 £1,382

$720 MX$12.5K

159.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

11.42

-50.70%

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

Last update for Farnham: April 28, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,645 in Farnham and $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Farnham pays 159% 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: $88.0 in Farnham vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $251 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 163% lower than in Farnham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Farnham pays 159% more on average, 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: $1,645 in Farnham versus $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,575 in Farnham versus $198 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Farnham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,389 in Farnham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Farnham. 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 $1,287 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Farnham 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 163% less than in Farnham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.