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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Lochboisdale versus $1,262 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,629 in Lochboisdale versus $2,158 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,852 in Lochboisdale versus $3,054 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Lochboisdale is roughly 91% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lochboisdale is 79% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.56 £15.19

$11.61 MX$201

77.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 £74.0

$42.75 MX$740

134.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 £7.00

$10.60 MX$184

-10.66%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.53

$3.59 MX$62.2

33.15%

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

$2.24 £1.66

$1.45 MX$25.15

54.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 £1.11

$0.90 MX$15.55

67.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 £5.08

$3.03 MX$52.5

127.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 £4.96

$4.56 MX$79.0

47.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.28

$1.45 MX$25.14

19.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.83 MX$31.64

-9.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 £1.97

$1.61 MX$27.85

65.84%

Eggs

$3.83 £2.83

$2.54 MX$43.95

50.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 £7.35

$8.54 MX$148

16.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 £6.71

$8.47 MX$147

7.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 £10.33

$10.86 MX$188

28.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 £2.45

$2.73 MX$47.26

21.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 £1.38

$1.49 MX$25.85

25.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 £2.48

$1.94 MX$33.65

72.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.64

$2.16 MX$37.49

65.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 £1.27

$1.85 MX$31.97

-7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$2.19 MX$37.91

-12.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.07 MX$18.58

18.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.17

$1.08 MX$18.76

47.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.77 £15.35

$4.06 MX$70.3

411.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 £8.18

$10.46 MX$181

5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 £2.21

$1.65 MX$28.64

81.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.45

$2.55 MX$44.13

29.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.42 £2.53

$0.56 MX$9.63

510.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.1 £64.4

$26.20 MX$454

232.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 £3.96

$3.14 MX$54.4

70.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 £1.66

$2.37 MX$41.08

-5.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.37 £20.23

$3.24 MX$56.1

744.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.48

$1.31 MX$22.76

52.67%

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

$37.9K £28.0K

$30.5K MX$528.9K

24.20%

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

$39.4K £29.1K

$23.8K MX$412.6K

65.34%

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

$381 £281

$83.1 MX$1,440

357.99%

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

$17.97 £13.28

$22.15 MX$384

-18.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.03 £30.32

$29.37 MX$509

39.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.65 £34.47

$51.2 MX$887

-8.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$324

Cinema Ticket

$17.53 £12.96

$4.89 MX$84.7

258.49%

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

$1,162 £859

$199 MX$3,441

485.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K £13.6K

$5,207 MX$90.2K

254.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 £90.1

$35.93 MX$622

239.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 £37.61

$39.39 MX$682

29.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.0

$80.3 MX$1,391

34.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 £80.7

$87.6 MX$1,517

24.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 £905

$963 MX$16.7K

27.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 £739

$482 MX$8,350

107.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 £1,490

$1,645 MX$28.5K

22.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 £1,268

$1,192 MX$20.6K

43.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$112.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.6K

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 Lochboisdale: April 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,224 in Lochboisdale and $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $100 in Lochboisdale vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $253 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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Sport & Entertainment. The 91% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,608 in Lochboisdale and $1,894 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: $1,224 in Lochboisdale versus $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,162 in Lochboisdale versus $199 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 24% higher in Lochboisdale. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,262 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,405 in Lochboisdale, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lochboisdale. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lochboisdale, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Lochboisdale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.