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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Gravesend versus $1,293 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,805 in Gravesend versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,922 in Gravesend versus $3,374 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Gravesend is roughly 108% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gravesend is 96% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.44 £15.12

$11.71 MX$198

74.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 £54.8

$46.59 MX$787

59.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 £7.86

$11.65 MX$197

-8.84%

Cappuccino

$4.76 £3.52

$4.09 MX$69.1

16.38%

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

$2.08 £1.54

$1.37 MX$23.21

51.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 £1.03

$0.83 MX$14.08

67.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 £6.16

$3.35 MX$56.6

148.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 £4.89

$6.91 MX$117

-4.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.73 MX$29.16

-20.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 £1.02

$2.26 MX$38.17

-38.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 £1.87

$1.77 MX$29.88

42.94%

Eggs

$3.29 £2.43

$2.73 MX$46.14

20.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 £7.44

$9.18 MX$155

9.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 £7.19

$8.92 MX$151

8.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 £8.96

$12.60 MX$213

-3.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 £1.78

$3.02 MX$51.0

-20.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.57 MX$26.52

-12.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.05

$2.13 MX$35.89

30.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 £2.56

$2.26 MX$38.23

52.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 £0.83

$2.00 MX$33.84

-44.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 £0.69

$2.06 MX$34.86

-54.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £0.99

$1.18 MX$19.92

12.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 £0.57

$1.20 MX$20.33

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.40 £17.31

$4.63 MX$78.3

405.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 £8.30

$10.69 MX$180

4.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 £1.97

$1.62 MX$27.35

64.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 £3.01

$2.88 MX$48.65

41.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.11 £2.30

$0.57 MX$9.68

445.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 £55.7

$29.83 MX$504

152.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 £4.82

$5.45 MX$92.0

19.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 £1.96

$3.70 MX$62.6

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 £20.34

$5.98 MX$101

359.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 £1.50

$1.55 MX$26.23

30.32%

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

$34.1K £25.2K

$22.3K MX$377.0K

52.79%

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

$41.3K £30.6K

$25.9K MX$438.2K

59.30%

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

$344 £254

$89.1 MX$1,505

285.62%

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

$18.84 £13.94

$25.04 MX$423

-24.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.97 £25.13

$31.50 MX$532

7.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 £39.75

$67.8 MX$1,145

-20.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.68 £10.86

$28.92 MX$488

-49.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.76 £10.18

$5.05 MX$85.3

172.48%

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

$2,194 £1,623

$225 MX$3,798

875.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.8K £22.0K

$4,222 MX$71.3K

605.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.1 £68.1

$47.44 MX$801

94.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.43 £20.30

$44.98 MX$759

-39.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 £71.0

$82.0 MX$1,384

17.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 £96.4

$92.1 MX$1,555

41.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,552 £1,148

$1,069 MX$18.1K

45.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 £1,015

$405 MX$6,844

238.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,676 £1,980

$1,935 MX$32.7K

38.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 £1,566

$1,301 MX$22.0K

62.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,995 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,626 MX$111.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$749 MX$12.6K

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: August 29, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,552 in Gravesend and $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Gravesend vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $277 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

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

Gravesend and Playa del Carmen differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($2,689 vs $1,293 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,034 in Gravesend and $1,940 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,552 in Gravesend versus $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Gravesend. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $74.0 in Gravesend. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,293 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,689 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.

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 108% less than in Gravesend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.