Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gravesend and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,665 in Gravesend, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Gravesend
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,665
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,665 in Gravesend versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gravesend $2,665
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,723 in Gravesend versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gravesend $3,723
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,781 in Gravesend versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gravesend $4,781
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Gravesend is roughly 121% 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: Gravesend is 97% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gravesend
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.29 £15.22
$10.86 MX$201
86.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.1 £54.8
$44.21 MX$817
65.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.42 £7.82
$11.76 MX$217
-11.39%
Cappuccino
$4.44 £3.33
$3.68 MX$68.0
20.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 £1.47
$1.34 MX$24.79
46.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 £0.98
$0.82 MX$15.24
58.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.05 £6.04
$3.06 MX$56.6
163.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.79 £5.09
$4.94 MX$91.2
37.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gravesend
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 £0.97
$1.47 MX$27.17
-11.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.30 £0.98
$2.22 MX$40.95
-41.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 £1.87
$1.48 MX$27.32
68.24%
Eggs
$3.23 £2.42
$2.49 MX$45.99
29.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.70 £7.28
$7.52 MX$139
28.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.29 £6.97
$7.96 MX$147
16.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.81 £8.86
$12.57 MX$232
-6.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 £1.77
$2.78 MX$51.3
-15.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 £0.98
$1.43 MX$26.37
-8.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.59 £1.94
$2.62 MX$48.37
-1.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.44 £2.58
$2.14 MX$39.49
60.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 £0.83
$2.02 MX$37.38
-45.05%
Onion (1kg)
$0.95 £0.72
$1.99 MX$36.74
-52.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 £0.97
$1.14 MX$21.01
13.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 £0.59
$1.20 MX$22.18
-34.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.36 £16.78
$4.26 MX$78.7
424.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.23 £8.42
$10.02 MX$185
12.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.72 £2.04
$1.54 MX$28.41
76.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.17 £3.13
$2.66 MX$49.17
56.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Gravesend
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.18 £2.39
$0.53 MX$9.73
500.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.6 £55.3
$27.51 MX$508
167.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.40 £4.80
$4.90 MX$90.6
30.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.67 £2.01
$3.43 MX$63.5
-22.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.58 £19.94
$5.38 MX$99.4
394.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.10 £1.58
$1.45 MX$26.76
44.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.4K £24.3K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
53.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.1K £30.8K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
78.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gravesend
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$336 £252
$85.4 MX$1,577
293.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.20 £13.65
$23.46 MX$434
-22.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.91 £25.44
$28.43 MX$525
19.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gravesend
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.7 £40.27
$62.2 MX$1,149
-13.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.88 £11.16
$28.68 MX$530
-48.12%
Cinema Ticket
$13.57 £10.18
$5.10 MX$94.3
166.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gravesend
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,163 £1,623
$201 MX$3,715
975.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.1K £26.3K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
789.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gravesend
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.8 £68.1
$44.39 MX$820
104.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.40 £19.80
$41.35 MX$764
-36.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.7 £68.8
$72.7 MX$1,344
26.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 £96.6
$89.6 MX$1,656
43.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gravesend
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 £1,131
$979 MX$18.1K
53.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,353 £1,015
$373 MX$6,887
262.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,667 £2,001
$1,681 MX$31.1K
58.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,024 £1,519
$1,095 MX$20.2K
84.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gravesend
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.04
11.45
-55.98%

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

Last update for Gravesend: October 18, 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
Gravesend
$1.4K
Playa del Carmen
$373 72.4% $980
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gravesend
$388
Playa del Carmen
$137 64.6% $251
Eating Out
Gravesend
$314
Playa del Carmen
$200 36.2% $114
Groceries & Markets
Gravesend
$271
Playa del Carmen
$258 4.7% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Gravesend
$152
Playa del Carmen
$112 26.5% $40
Getting Around
Gravesend
$106
Playa del Carmen
$52 51.3% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Gravesend
$81
Playa del Carmen
$72 10.4% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Gravesend and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Gravesend vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Gravesend
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
17:22 5:22 PM
11:22 11:22 AM
6 h behind Gravesend
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
54,263
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gravesend Playa del Carmen 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gravesend
  • 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
Gravesend vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Gravesend and in Playa del Carmen?
Gravesend and Playa del Carmen differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($2,665 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Gravesend compared to Playa del Carmen?
You'd need roughly $3,997 in Gravesend and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Gravesend and in Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,508 in Gravesend versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Gravesend. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $73.0 in Gravesend. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,665 in Gravesend, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gravesend. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Gravesend and 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.
Where should expats move: Gravesend or Playa del Carmen?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Gravesend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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