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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,120 in Harrow versus $1,262 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,566 in Harrow versus $2,158 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,013 in Harrow versus $3,054 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Harrow is roughly 147% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Harrow is 132% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.72 £15.35

$11.61 MX$201

78.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.1 £71.2

$42.75 MX$742

124.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.48 £7.02

$10.60 MX$184

-10.57%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.54

$3.59 MX$62.3

32.87%

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

$2.94 £2.18

$1.45 MX$25.21

102.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.61

$0.90 MX$15.58

141.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 £4.76

$3.03 MX$52.6

111.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.01

$4.56 MX$79.2

48.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.45 MX$25.20

8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.83 MX$31.72

-4.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 £3.16

$1.61 MX$27.92

165.22%

Eggs

$6.25 £4.63

$2.54 MX$44.05

146.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.62 £7.13

$8.54 MX$148

12.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 £6.87

$8.47 MX$147

9.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.45 £12.93

$10.86 MX$189

60.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 £2.58

$2.73 MX$47.37

27.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 £0.89

$1.49 MX$25.91

-19.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 £2.02

$1.94 MX$33.73

40.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.34 £3.95

$2.16 MX$37.57

147.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 £1.03

$1.85 MX$32.05

-24.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.97 £2.94

$2.19 MX$38.00

81.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.88

$1.07 MX$18.62

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 £0.95

$1.08 MX$18.81

19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.62 £16.02

$4.06 MX$70.5

432.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 £7.85

$10.46 MX$182

1.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.50

$1.65 MX$28.71

23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 £0.99

$2.55 MX$44.23

-47.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 £2.17

$0.56 MX$9.65

423.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.1 £64.6

$26.20 MX$455

232.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 £4.06

$3.14 MX$54.5

74.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.63

$2.37 MX$41.17

-7.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.32 £17.28

$3.24 MX$56.2

619.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.48

$1.31 MX$22.81

52.67%

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

$37.9K £28.1K

$30.5K MX$530.2K

24.02%

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

$41.1K £30.5K

$23.8K MX$413.6K

72.71%

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

$186 £138

$83.1 MX$1,443

123.43%

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

$15.18 £11.25

$22.15 MX$385

-31.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.35 £32.12

$29.37 MX$510

47.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 £39.57

$51.2 MX$889

4.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.19 £14.96

$18.69 MX$324

8.03%

Cinema Ticket

$16.86 £12.50

$4.89 MX$84.9

244.79%

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

$1,186 £879

$199 MX$3,449

496.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K £13.7K

$5,207 MX$90.4K

255.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 £65.9

$35.93 MX$624

147.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.8 £51.0

$39.39 MX$684

74.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.0

$80.3 MX$1,394

36.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$202 £150

$87.6 MX$1,520

131.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 £1,847

$963 MX$16.7K

158.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 £1,316

$482 MX$8,370

268.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,780

$1,645 MX$28.6K

128.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 £2,129

$1,192 MX$20.7K

141.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,479 £5,542

$3,957 MX$68.7K

89.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,303 £5,411

$6,513 MX$113.1K

12.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,201 £3,854

$726 MX$12.6K

616.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

11.42

-49.47%

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

Last update for Harrow: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,492 in Harrow and $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harrow pays 616% 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: $96 in Harrow vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $253 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

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

Harrow and Playa del Carmen differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($3,120 vs $1,262 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Harrow pays 616% 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: $2,492 in Harrow versus $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 232% less than in Harrow. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,186 in Harrow versus $199 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,262 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,120 in Harrow, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Harrow. 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.

Safety-wise, Harrow 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 147% less than in Harrow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.