Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kempton Park and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Kempton Park and in Playa del Carmen: $1,231 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

Kempton Park, South Africa
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Kempton Park
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,231
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,231 in Kempton Park versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Kempton Park $1,231
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,889 in Kempton Park versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Kempton Park $1,889
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,547 in Kempton Park versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Kempton Park $2,547
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Monthly costs are close between Kempton Park and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kempton Park 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kempton Park
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.01 R 150
$10.92 MX$204
-17.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.26 R 621
$43.37 MX$808
-14.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.98 R 99.7
$11.78 MX$220
-49.24%
Cappuccino
$2.42 R 40.35
$3.81 MX$71.0
-36.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 17.25
$1.28 MX$23.90
-18.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 R 13.58
$0.78 MX$14.59
3.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.47 R 41.13
$3.17 MX$59.0
-22.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 R 47.02
$4.93 MX$92.0
-42.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kempton Park
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.36 R 22.73
$1.41 MX$26.22
-3.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.10 R 18.25
$2.22 MX$41.33
-50.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.82 R 30.38
$1.42 MX$26.42
28.17%
Eggs
$2.53 R 42.14
$2.52 MX$47.03
0.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.51 R 142
$7.26 MX$135
17.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.30 R 88.2
$7.70 MX$143
-31.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.17 R 153
$12.69 MX$237
-27.74%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 R 31.22
$2.78 MX$51.9
-32.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 R 28.91
$1.37 MX$25.50
26.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.46
$2.55 MX$47.55
-30.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 R 32.99
$2.12 MX$39.58
-6.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.74 R 28.96
$1.94 MX$36.13
-10.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.76 R 29.32
$1.89 MX$35.16
-6.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 R 20.59
$1.15 MX$21.37
7.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 R 21.49
$1.18 MX$21.98
9.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 R 56.3
$4.30 MX$80.1
-21.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.30 R 88.3
$9.95 MX$185
-46.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 R 27.63
$1.58 MX$29.52
5.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 R 40.30
$2.67 MX$49.79
-9.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Kempton Park
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.56 R 26.05
$0.55 MX$10.31
183.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.1 R 1,017
$26.62 MX$496
129.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.31 R 5.17
$4.97 MX$92.6
-93.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.82 R 13.67
$3.33 MX$62.1
-75.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.51 R 242
$5.36 MX$99.8
170.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 R 25.84
$1.44 MX$26.92
7.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.3K R 604.9K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
75.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K R 568.7K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
45.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kempton Park
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$182 R 3,032
$84.8 MX$1,581
114.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.32 R 655
$23.41 MX$436
67.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.46 R 641
$28.66 MX$534
34.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kempton Park
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.63 R 644
$57.1 MX$1,063
-32.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.06 R 184
$28.91 MX$539
-61.74%
Cinema Ticket
$8.46 R 141
$5.14 MX$95.8
64.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kempton Park
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$263 R 4,384
$207 MX$3,851
27.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,524 R 92.1K
$3,927 MX$73.2K
40.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kempton Park
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 R 891
$43.35 MX$808
23.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.01 R 550
$41.44 MX$772
-20.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 R 1,531
$74.2 MX$1,383
23.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.1 R 1,402
$89.3 MX$1,664
-5.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kempton Park
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$306 R 5,105
$980 MX$18.3K
-68.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,173
$381 MX$7,099
-2.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$750 R 12.5K
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-56.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$750 R 12.5K
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-30.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$862 R 14.4K
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-78.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$690 R 11.5K
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-88.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kempton Park
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$630 R 10.5K
$735 MX$13.7K
-14.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.25
11.45
-1.75%

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

Last update for Kempton Park: October 26, 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
Kempton Park
$370
Playa del Carmen
$381 2.8% $10
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kempton Park
$260
Playa del Carmen
$137 47.3% $123
Groceries & Markets
Kempton Park
$211
Playa del Carmen
$255 20.7% $44
Eating Out
Kempton Park
$144
Playa del Carmen
$202 40.1% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Kempton Park
$118
Playa del Carmen
$112 5.4% $6.4
Getting Around
Kempton Park
$72
Playa del Carmen
$50 29.6% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Kempton Park
$56
Playa del Carmen
$67 21.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $306 in Kempton Park and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 17% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Kempton Park vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $255 per month, with Kempton Park cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Kempton Park
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
00:20 12:20 AM
17:20 5:20 PM
7 h behind Kempton Park
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kempton Park Playa del Carmen 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kempton Park
  • 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
Kempton Park vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Are salaries higher in Kempton Park or in Playa del Carmen?
On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Kempton Park. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Kempton Park compared to Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $306 in Kempton Park versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Kempton Park and in Playa del Carmen?
Childcare runs $263 in Kempton Park versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Kempton Park and in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Kempton Park – a meal for two runs $37 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Kempton Park or in Playa del Carmen?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Kempton Park or Playa del Carmen?
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.

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