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: $2,416 in Lochboisdale versus $1,293 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,552 in Lochboisdale versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,687 in Lochboisdale versus $3,374 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Lochboisdale is roughly 87% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lochboisdale is 76% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.44 £17.34

$11.71 MX$198

100.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 £51.0

$46.59 MX$787

47.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 £7.93

$11.65 MX$197

-7.90%

Cappuccino

$4.79 £3.55

$4.09 MX$69.1

17.11%

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

$2.19 £1.62

$1.37 MX$23.21

59.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.31

$0.83 MX$14.08

112.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 £4.35

$3.35 MX$56.6

75.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 £5.11

$6.91 MX$117

-0.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.28

$1.73 MX$29.16

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 £1.11

$2.26 MX$38.17

-33.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 £1.51

$1.77 MX$29.88

15.25%

Eggs

$3.87 £2.86

$2.73 MX$46.14

41.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 £7.05

$9.18 MX$155

3.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.80 £7.25

$8.92 MX$151

9.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 £13.98

$12.60 MX$213

50.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 £2.10

$3.02 MX$51.0

-5.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 £1.20

$1.57 MX$26.52

3.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 £2.06

$2.13 MX$35.89

30.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.38

$2.26 MX$38.23

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 £1.34

$2.00 MX$33.84

-9.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.18

$2.06 MX$34.86

-22.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.86

$1.18 MX$19.92

-0.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.25

$1.20 MX$20.33

40.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.18 £17.89

$4.63 MX$78.3

422.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 £8.35

$10.69 MX$180

5.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.41

$1.62 MX$27.35

101.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.47

$2.88 MX$48.65

15.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.57 £2.64

$0.57 MX$9.68

526.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 £71.4

$29.83 MX$504

223.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 £4.50

$5.45 MX$92.0

11.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 £0.91

$3.70 MX$62.6

-66.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.26 £17.95

$5.98 MX$101

305.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.56

$1.55 MX$26.23

36.13%

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

$39.4K £29.2K

$22.3K MX$377.0K

76.49%

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

$41.0K £30.3K

$25.9K MX$438.2K

58.09%

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

$325 £241

$89.1 MX$1,505

264.87%

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

$18.13 £13.41

$25.04 MX$423

-27.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.70 £31.59

$31.50 MX$532

35.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.88 £35.42

$67.8 MX$1,145

-29.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.92 MX$488

Cinema Ticket

$16.62 £12.30

$5.05 MX$85.3

229.11%

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

$956 £708

$225 MX$3,798

325.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K £16.4K

$4,222 MX$71.3K

425.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 £103

$47.44 MX$801

193.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 £35.41

$44.98 MX$759

6.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £76.4

$82.0 MX$1,384

26.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 £69.5

$92.1 MX$1,555

2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 £935

$1,069 MX$18.1K

18.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 £759

$405 MX$6,844

153.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,109 £1,560

$1,935 MX$32.7K

8.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 £1,245

$1,301 MX$22.0K

29.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,291 £3,915

$3,995 MX$67.5K

32.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,888 £2,877

$6,626 MX$111.9K

-41.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$749 MX$12.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

11.45

-58.43%

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

Last update for Lochboisdale: August 30, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,263 in Lochboisdale and $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Lochboisdale vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Sport & Entertainment. The 87% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,624 in Lochboisdale 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: $1,263 in Lochboisdale versus $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $956 in Lochboisdale 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 16% higher in Lochboisdale. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,293 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,416 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 87% less than in Lochboisdale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.