Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grays and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,369 in Grays, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Grays
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Grays Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Grays

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,369

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,369 per month in Grays vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Grays $2,369
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,403 per month in Grays vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Grays $3,403
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,437 per month in Grays vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Grays $4,437
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Grays costs about 96% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Grays sits 75% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 £18.71

$10.76 MX$199

131.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 £39.24

$43.03 MX$795

21.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 £7.49

$11.79 MX$218

-15.35%

Cappuccino

$4.64 £3.48

$3.87 MX$71.4

19.90%

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

$3.86 £2.90

$1.37 MX$25.29

181.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 £2.49

$0.84 MX$15.44

295.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 £4.05

$3.10 MX$57.3

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 £5.91

$5.07 MX$93.6

55.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.44 MX$26.55

7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 £1.10

$2.23 MX$41.23

-34.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.47 MX$27.17

11.56%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.31

$2.53 MX$46.71

74.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 £9.05

$7.30 MX$135

65.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 £6.88

$7.86 MX$145

16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 £11.33

$12.79 MX$236

18.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$2.90 MX$53.6

1.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.44 MX$26.53

31.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$2.55 MX$47.07

10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 £2.83

$2.06 MX$38.03

83.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.00 MX$36.97

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$2.01 MX$37.07

-10.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.19 MX$22.02

-0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.26 MX$23.23

13.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.07 £12.80

$4.40 MX$81.4

287.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 £8.16

$9.59 MX$177

13.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$1.59 MX$29.41

91.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.81 MX$51.9

14.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 £2.66

$0.57 MX$10.47

521.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$27.82 MX$514

250.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 £3.66

$4.98 MX$92.1

-2.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$3.50 MX$64.6

-23.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.12 £29.35

$5.40 MX$99.8

624.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.47 MX$27.08

40.14%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

83.97%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

71.15%

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

$280 £210

$84.2 MX$1,556

231.91%

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

$16.46 £12.35

$23.99 MX$443

-31.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.70 £33.53

$29.02 MX$536

54.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 £34.87

$63.0 MX$1,164

-26.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 £8.37

$4.94 MX$91.3

125.91%

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

$2,079 £1,559

$204 MX$3,763

920.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K £23.0K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

677.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 £68.2

$43.60 MX$806

108.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 £33.34

$43.12 MX$797

3.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.4

$75.8 MX$1,400

37.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 £66.0

$88.6 MX$1,637

-0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 £926

$1,008 MX$18.6K

22.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 £759

$374 MX$6,911

170.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 £1,595

$1,708 MX$31.6K

24.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 £1,226

$1,106 MX$20.4K

47.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,052 £3,790

$3,944 MX$72.9K

28.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-37.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

11.45

-55.28%

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

Last update for Grays: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Grays

$1K 42.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 63% $638

Eating Out

Grays

$357 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 43.3% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grays

$341 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 59.7% $203

Groceries & Markets

Grays

$313 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 17.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Grays

$148 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 23.4% $35

Getting Around

Grays

$130 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 59.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Grays

$69 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 5.9% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,235 in Grays versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Grays versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Grays

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

6 h behind Grays

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,601

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grays Playa del Carmen 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Grays
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

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

Yes – Grays is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,553 per month in Grays and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,369 in Grays and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 96%.

Public transport costs about 250% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Grays at $2,369. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grays it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Grays makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.