Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gloucester and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,310 in Gloucester, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Gloucester, United Kingdom
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Gloucester
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,310
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,310 in Gloucester versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gloucester $2,310
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,469 in Gloucester versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gloucester $3,469
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,627 in Gloucester versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gloucester $4,627
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Gloucester is roughly 92% 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: Gloucester is 70% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gloucester
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.12 £15.14
$10.92 MX$204
84.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.0 £60.2
$43.37 MX$808
84.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.81 £8.13
$11.78 MX$220
-8.23%
Cappuccino
$4.91 £3.69
$3.81 MX$71.0
28.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 £1.77
$1.28 MX$23.90
84.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 £1.82
$0.78 MX$14.59
208.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.20 £3.91
$3.17 MX$59.0
64.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.11 £3.85
$4.93 MX$92.0
3.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gloucester
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.41 MX$26.22
23.40%
White Bread (500g)
$1.98 £1.49
$2.22 MX$41.33
-10.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.16 £1.63
$1.42 MX$26.42
52.11%
Eggs
$4.37 £3.29
$2.52 MX$47.03
73.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.78 £5.85
$7.26 MX$135
7.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.52 £7.17
$7.70 MX$143
23.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.05 £15.09
$12.69 MX$237
58.00%
Apples (1kg)
$4.22 £3.18
$2.78 MX$51.9
51.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 £1.09
$1.37 MX$25.50
5.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 £1.46
$2.55 MX$47.55
-23.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.42 £2.58
$2.12 MX$39.58
61.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.59 £1.20
$1.94 MX$36.13
-18.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 £1.47
$1.89 MX$35.16
3.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 £0.97
$1.15 MX$21.37
12.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 £1.09
$1.18 MX$21.98
22.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.06 £18.11
$4.30 MX$80.1
459.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.56 £7.94
$9.95 MX$185
6.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 £1.77
$1.58 MX$29.52
48.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 £2.20
$2.67 MX$49.79
9.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Gloucester
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.05 £3.05
$0.55 MX$10.31
636.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$115 £86.8
$26.62 MX$496
333.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.76 £5.09
$4.97 MX$92.6
36.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 £1.01
$3.33 MX$62.1
-59.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.27 £12.24
$5.36 MX$99.8
203.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.50
$1.44 MX$26.92
38.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.4K £28.1K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
80.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.5K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
72.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gloucester
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$383 £289
$84.8 MX$1,581
352.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.41 £18.37
$23.41 MX$436
4.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.40 £30.41
$28.66 MX$534
40.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gloucester
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.05 £29.39
$57.1 MX$1,063
-31.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.46 £7.87
$5.14 MX$95.8
103.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gloucester
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,884 £1,418
$207 MX$3,851
811.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$3,927 MX$73.2K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gloucester
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.7 £51.0
$43.35 MX$808
56.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.42 £26.66
$41.44 MX$772
-14.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.3 £56.0
$74.2 MX$1,383
0.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.8 £60.0
$89.3 MX$1,664
-10.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gloucester
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,111 £836
$980 MX$18.3K
13.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$914 £688
$381 MX$7,099
140.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,350 £1,768
$1,708 MX$31.8K
37.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,709 £1,286
$1,075 MX$20.0K
58.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,129 £3,860
$3,943 MX$73.5K
30.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,700 £2,785
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-39.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gloucester
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,622 £1,973
$735 MX$13.7K
256.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
11.45
-51.62%

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

Last update for Gloucester: October 24, 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
Gloucester
$914
Playa del Carmen
$381 58.3% $533
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gloucester
$448
Playa del Carmen
$137 69.5% $311
Groceries & Markets
Gloucester
$319
Playa del Carmen
$255 20.1% $64
Eating Out
Gloucester
$308
Playa del Carmen
$202 34.2% $105
Getting Around
Gloucester
$145
Playa del Carmen
$50 65.2% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Gloucester
$116
Playa del Carmen
$112 3.5% $4
Sport & Entertainment
Gloucester
$60
Playa del Carmen
$67 12.3% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,111 in Gloucester and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gloucester pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Gloucester vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Gloucester
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
17:44 5:44 PM
12:44 12:44 PM
5 h behind Gloucester
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
121,700
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gloucester Playa del Carmen 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gloucester
  • 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
Gloucester vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Gloucester or Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Gloucester. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Gloucester or in Playa del Carmen?
Average pay in Gloucester is about 3.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Gloucester compared to Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,111 in Gloucester versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Gloucester or in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Gloucester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Gloucester and in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $80 in Gloucester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Gloucester or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,310 in Gloucester, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gloucester. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Gloucester or Playa del Carmen?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Gloucester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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