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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,512 in Inverness versus $1,256 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,544 in Inverness versus $2,137 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,576 in Inverness versus $3,017 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Inverness is roughly 100% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Inverness is 88% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.60 £15.33

$11.99 MX$209

71.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.9 £73.6

$41.78 MX$728

136.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 £6.95

$10.75 MX$187

-13.21%

Cappuccino

$4.22 £3.14

$3.50 MX$60.9

20.57%

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

$2.23 £1.66

$1.45 MX$25.22

53.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 £1.08

$0.88 MX$15.41

65.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 £5.17

$2.95 MX$51.3

135.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 £5.16

$4.51 MX$78.6

53.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.43 MX$24.94

16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.84 MX$31.99

-6.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 £1.86

$1.57 MX$27.31

59.24%

Eggs

$3.88 £2.89

$2.51 MX$43.74

54.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.83 £7.32

$8.28 MX$144

18.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 £7.01

$8.43 MX$147

11.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 £10.61

$10.68 MX$186

33.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 £2.01

$2.61 MX$45.43

3.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$1.44 MX$25.04

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 £1.58

$1.96 MX$34.16

8.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 £1.00

$2.09 MX$36.47

-35.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.85 MX$32.24

-7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 £0.90

$2.17 MX$37.74

-44.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.03 MX$17.96

18.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.07 MX$18.70

53.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.01 £13.41

$4.10 MX$71.4

339.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.02 £8.20

$10.17 MX$177

8.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 £2.21

$1.68 MX$29.17

76.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 £2.30

$2.53 MX$43.98

22.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 £2.65

$0.51 MX$8.87

598.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 £48.55

$26.04 MX$453

150.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.35 £3.98

$3.23 MX$56.3

65.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.33 £1.74

$2.41 MX$41.88

-3.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.21 £18.02

$3.23 MX$56.2

649.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.41

$1.32 MX$23.00

43.94%

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

$34.5K £25.7K

$29.7K MX$517.1K

16.25%

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

$38.7K £28.8K

$23.7K MX$412.0K

63.60%

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

$384 £286

$82.0 MX$1,428

367.96%

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

$17.36 £12.93

$22.95 MX$400

-24.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.04 £29.81

$30.11 MX$524

32.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.04 £32.04

$52.0 MX$905

-17.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.01 £5.97

$18.53 MX$323

-56.77%

Cinema Ticket

$14.78 £11.00

$4.98 MX$86.6

196.79%

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

$1,095 £815

$197 MX$3,438

454.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K £13.7K

$5,336 MX$92.9K

244.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 £71.0

$35.60 MX$620

167.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 £27.22

$40.33 MX$702

-9.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 £72.0

$78.8 MX$1,371

22.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 £81.4

$88.9 MX$1,549

23.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 £1,000

$947 MX$16.5K

41.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 £829

$474 MX$8,254

134.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,333 £1,737

$1,644 MX$28.6K

41.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 £1,219

$1,211 MX$21.1K

35.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,208 £3,133

$4,056 MX$70.6K

3.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,430 £2,554

$6,470 MX$112.7K

-46.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,256 £2,424

$654 MX$11.4K

397.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

11.42

-53.42%

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

Last update for Inverness: July 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,344 in Inverness and $947 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Inverness pays 398% 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: $99.0 in Inverness vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $249 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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Inverness. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 398% higher in Inverness, 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: $1,344 in Inverness versus $947 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 150% less than in Inverness. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,095 in Inverness versus $197 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,256 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,512 in Inverness, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Inverness. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,256 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Inverness 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 100% less than in Inverness. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.