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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,320 in Lisburn versus $1,293 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,511 in Lisburn versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,702 in Lisburn versus $3,374 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Lisburn is roughly 79% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisburn is 69% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.01 £22.19

$11.71 MX$198

156.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 £55.3

$46.59 MX$788

60.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.16 £10.47

$11.65 MX$197

21.55%

Cappuccino

$4.93 £3.64

$4.09 MX$69.2

20.54%

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

$2.05 £1.52

$1.37 MX$23.23

49.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.37

$0.83 MX$14.09

124.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.62 £5.64

$3.35 MX$56.7

127.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.22 £4.60

$6.91 MX$117

-9.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.40

$1.73 MX$29.20

9.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 £1.87

$2.26 MX$38.21

11.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 £1.69

$1.77 MX$29.91

29.38%

Eggs

$4.13 £3.06

$2.73 MX$46.19

51.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 £7.12

$9.18 MX$155

4.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 £6.41

$8.92 MX$151

-2.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.59 £10.78

$12.60 MX$213

15.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 £2.48

$3.02 MX$51.1

10.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.03

$1.57 MX$26.55

-10.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 £1.99

$2.13 MX$35.93

26.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 £2.43

$2.26 MX$38.28

45.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.35

$2.00 MX$33.88

-8.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.29

$2.06 MX$34.90

-15.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.18 MX$19.94

7.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 £1.14

$1.20 MX$20.35

28.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.73 £17.54

$4.63 MX$78.4

412.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.70 £7.17

$10.69 MX$181

-9.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 £1.92

$1.62 MX$27.38

60.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 £2.42

$2.88 MX$48.70

13.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.53

$0.57 MX$9.69

501.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 £70.3

$29.83 MX$504

218.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.20 £3.84

$5.45 MX$92.1

-4.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 £1.52

$3.70 MX$62.6

-44.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.22 £20.12

$5.98 MX$101

355.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.52

$1.55 MX$26.26

32.26%

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

$33.9K £25.0K

$22.3K MX$377.4K

51.67%

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

$37.9K £28.0K

$25.9K MX$438.7K

46.22%

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

$349 £258

$89.1 MX$1,507

291.07%

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

$16.26 £12.02

$25.04 MX$423

-35.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 £29.16

$31.50 MX$532

25.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 £38.24

$67.8 MX$1,146

-23.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 £7.93

$28.92 MX$489

-62.90%

Cinema Ticket

$13.83 £10.22

$5.05 MX$85.4

173.86%

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

$1,694 £1,252

$225 MX$3,803

653.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K £14.6K

$4,222 MX$71.4K

368.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 £74.3

$47.44 MX$802

111.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.49 £35.85

$44.98 MX$760

7.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 £81.9

$82.0 MX$1,386

35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 £68.2

$92.1 MX$1,557

0.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,250 £924

$1,069 MX$18.1K

16.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 £656

$405 MX$6,852

118.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 £1,549

$1,935 MX$32.7K

8.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,734 £1,282

$1,301 MX$22.0K

33.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,102 £3,771

$3,995 MX$67.5K

27.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,776 £2,791

$6,626 MX$112.0K

-43.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$749 MX$12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

11.45

-55.37%

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

Last update for Lisburn: August 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,250 in Lisburn and $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in Lisburn vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $277 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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Lisburn. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,481 in Lisburn and $1,940 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,250 in Lisburn versus $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,694 in Lisburn versus $225 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Lisburn. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,293 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,320 in Lisburn, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lisburn. 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 $1,293 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisburn 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 79% less than in Lisburn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.