Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hertfordshire and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,499 in Hertfordshire, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Hertfordshire
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Hertfordshire Living Index
58

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

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Hertfordshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,499

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Hertfordshire versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Hertfordshire $2,499
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,774 in Hertfordshire versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Hertfordshire $3,774
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,049 in Hertfordshire versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Hertfordshire $5,049
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Hertfordshire is roughly 108% 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: Hertfordshire is 84% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.87 £20.07

$10.92 MX$205

146.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 £60.6

$43.37 MX$814

87.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.93

$11.78 MX$221

-9.93%

Cappuccino

$5.14 £3.84

$3.81 MX$71.5

34.91%

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

$2.42 £1.80

$1.28 MX$24.07

89.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 £1.56

$0.78 MX$14.70

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 £4.11

$3.17 MX$59.5

73.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 £4.20

$4.93 MX$92.7

14.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.41 MX$26.40

8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 £1.43

$2.22 MX$41.62

-13.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 £2.08

$1.42 MX$26.61

95.77%

Eggs

$3.64 £2.72

$2.52 MX$47.36

44.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 £5.85

$7.26 MX$136

7.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.38 £5.51

$7.70 MX$144

-4.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.60

$12.69 MX$238

32.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 £2.45

$2.78 MX$52.3

17.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.37 MX$25.68

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.26

$2.55 MX$47.89

18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 £2.54

$2.12 MX$39.86

60.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.94 MX$36.39

-40.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.89 MX$35.41

-3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$1.15 MX$21.53

9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 £0.97

$1.18 MX$22.13

10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.92 £15.62

$4.30 MX$80.6

386.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.09 £7.53

$9.95 MX$187

1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 £1.50

$1.58 MX$29.73

27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.46

$2.67 MX$50.1

-26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 £2.65

$0.55 MX$10.39

543.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.7 £64.0

$26.62 MX$500

221.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 £3.02

$4.97 MX$93.3

-18.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.94 £2.94

$3.33 MX$62.5

18.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.16 £24.02

$5.36 MX$101

500.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.44 MX$27.11

38.89%

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

$38.3K £28.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

85.53%

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

$39.8K £29.7K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

69.60%

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

$158 £118

$84.8 MX$1,592

85.86%

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

$17.19 £12.84

$23.41 MX$439

-26.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.88 £32.77

$28.66 MX$538

53.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.49 £34.72

$57.1 MX$1,071

-18.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$13.52 £10.10

$5.14 MX$96.5

163.04%

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

$1,620 £1,210

$207 MX$3,878

684.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K £16.7K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

470.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.28 £35.31

$43.35 MX$814

9.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.28 £29.34

$41.44 MX$778

-5.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 £55.3

$74.2 MX$1,393

-0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 £84.0

$89.3 MX$1,676

26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,787 £1,335

$980 MX$18.4K

82.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 £976

$381 MX$7,150

243.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,899 £2,165

$1,708 MX$32.1K

69.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,311 £1,726

$1,075 MX$20.2K

114.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,001 £3,735

$3,943 MX$74.0K

26.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 £2,853

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-37.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,256 £2,432

$735 MX$13.8K

343.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

11.45

-54.50%

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

Last update for Hertfordshire: 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

Hertfordshire

$1.3K 52.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.9% $926

Eating Out

Hertfordshire

$365 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 44.6% $163

Groceries & Markets

Hertfordshire

$288 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 11.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hertfordshire

$219 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 37.4% $82

Getting Around

Hertfordshire

$124 5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Hertfordshire

$123 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Hertfordshire

$74 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.5% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,787 in Hertfordshire and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hertfordshire pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Hertfordshire vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Hertfordshire

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

5 h behind Hertfordshire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,990

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hertfordshire Playa del Carmen 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hertfordshire
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Hertfordshire is about 4.4 times higher, 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: $1,787 in Hertfordshire versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $81 in Hertfordshire. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,499 per month in Hertfordshire versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,499 in Hertfordshire, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Hertfordshire. 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 52% less than in Hertfordshire. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.