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: $2,279 in Lisburn versus $1,297 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,419 in Lisburn versus $2,181 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,560 in Lisburn versus $3,065 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Lisburn is roughly 76% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisburn is 70% above, Playa del Carmen is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.35 £18.89

$11.73 MX$203

116.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.4 £64.3

$41.62 MX$719

107.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 £6.60

$10.64 MX$184

-16.73%

Cappuccino

$4.66 £3.47

$3.52 MX$60.8

32.39%

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

$2.06 £1.54

$1.51 MX$26.09

36.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.38

$0.97 MX$16.82

90.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 £6.09

$2.95 MX$51.0

177.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 £5.43

$4.45 MX$77.0

63.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.38 MX$23.90

34.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 £1.68

$1.89 MX$32.69

19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 £3.11

$1.64 MX$28.29

154.88%

Eggs

$3.93 £2.93

$2.51 MX$43.30

56.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 £7.31

$8.34 MX$144

17.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.69

$8.34 MX$144

7.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 £10.40

$10.73 MX$185

30.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.33

$2.60 MX$45.00

20.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.46 MX$25.18

12.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.14

$1.90 MX$32.84

51.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.60

$2.08 MX$35.88

67.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.78 MX$30.68

-7.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 £1.09

$2.19 MX$37.76

-32.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 £0.80

$1.04 MX$17.97

2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.08 MX$18.60

34.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.88 £14.07

$4.08 MX$70.5

362.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.09 £8.26

$10.32 MX$178

7.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 £2.09

$1.71 MX$29.59

64.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 £2.42

$2.58 MX$44.50

25.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 £2.53

$0.51 MX$8.81

564.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 £66.4

$26.46 MX$457

236.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 £4.06

$3.26 MX$56.4

67.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 £1.15

$2.49 MX$43.05

-38.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.72 £16.92

$3.25 MX$56.1

599.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 £1.79

$1.31 MX$22.59

83.21%

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

$38.9K £29.0K

$30.3K MX$523.2K

28.41%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$23.4K MX$404.9K

72.73%

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

$299 £223

$82.9 MX$1,432

261.29%

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

$17.06 £12.71

$22.22 MX$384

-23.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.00 £32.04

$29.34 MX$507

46.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.55 £34.68

$51.6 MX$892

-9.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.32 MX$317

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 £10.07

$5.07 MX$87.5

166.47%

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

$1,593 £1,187

$201 MX$3,470

693.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K £13.5K

$5,212 MX$90.1K

248.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 £62.2

$36.92 MX$638

126.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.79 £31.88

$39.79 MX$688

7.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 £70.2

$78.5 MX$1,356

20.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.6 £74.2

$87.1 MX$1,505

14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 £923

$973 MX$16.8K

27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$909 £677

$468 MX$8,082

94.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 £1,496

$1,641 MX$28.4K

22.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 £1,253

$1,221 MX$21.1K

37.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,786 £4,311

$3,946 MX$68.2K

46.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,498 MX$112.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 MX$11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

11.42

-50.70%

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

Last update for Lisburn: June 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Lisburn and $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86.0 in Lisburn vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 76% 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 $3,418 in Lisburn and $1,945 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: $1,240 in Lisburn versus $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,593 in Lisburn versus $201 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 27% higher in Lisburn. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,297 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,279 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 $1,297 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 76% less than in Lisburn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.