Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margate and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,397 in Margate, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Margate

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,397

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,397 in Margate versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Margate $2,397
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,447 in Margate versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Margate $3,447
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,498 in Margate versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Margate $4,498
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Margate is roughly 98% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Margate is 78% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 £13.22

$10.76 MX$199

63.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 £44.44

$43.03 MX$795

37.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 £8.00

$11.79 MX$218

-9.58%

Cappuccino

$4.58 £3.44

$3.87 MX$71.4

18.35%

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

$1.93 £1.45

$1.37 MX$25.29

40.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.02

$0.84 MX$15.44

60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 £5.97

$3.10 MX$57.3

156.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 £5.08

$5.07 MX$93.6

33.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.44 MX$26.55

9.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$2.23 MX$41.23

-19.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.47 MX$27.17

77.55%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.31

$2.53 MX$46.71

74.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 £7.34

$7.30 MX$135

33.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 £7.25

$7.86 MX$145

22.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 £11.77

$12.79 MX$236

22.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.90 MX$53.6

3.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.44 MX$26.53

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 £2.67

$2.55 MX$47.07

39.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$2.06 MX$38.03

70.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$2.00 MX$36.97

-11.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.01 MX$37.07

-10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.19 MX$22.02

3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.26 MX$23.23

54.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.12 £16.59

$4.40 MX$81.4

402.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 £8.39

$9.59 MX$177

16.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 £1.95

$1.59 MX$29.41

63.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 £2.89

$2.81 MX$51.9

37.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.47

$0.57 MX$10.47

478.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.6 £71.7

$27.82 MX$514

243.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 £5.96

$4.98 MX$92.1

59.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.94

$3.50 MX$64.6

-26.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.2 £38.43

$5.40 MX$99.8

848.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.47 MX$27.08

40.82%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

79.15%

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

$41.0K £30.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

71.70%

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

$342 £256

$84.2 MX$1,556

305.85%

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

$18.66 £14.00

$23.99 MX$443

-22.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.12 £31.60

$29.02 MX$536

45.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 £34.25

$63.0 MX$1,164

-27.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$17.01 £12.76

$4.94 MX$91.3

244.33%

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

$2,568 £1,926

$204 MX$3,763

1161.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.7K £26.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

805.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 £68.0

$43.60 MX$806

107.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.65 £35.75

$43.12 MX$797

10.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 £70.0

$75.8 MX$1,400

23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.2

$88.6 MX$1,637

43.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 £900

$1,008 MX$18.6K

19.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 £754

$374 MX$6,911

168.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,134 £1,601

$1,708 MX$31.6K

24.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 £1,247

$1,106 MX$20.4K

50.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,111 £3,834

$3,944 MX$72.9K

29.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,937 £2,954

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-36.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,652 £1,990

$754 MX$13.9K

251.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

11.45

-55.98%

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

Last update for Margate: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Margate

$1K 42%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 62.8% $631

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margate

$403 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 65.9% $265

Groceries & Markets

Margate

$324 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 20.2% $65

Eating Out

Margate

$294 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 31.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Margate

$161 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 30% $48

Getting Around

Margate

$130 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 59.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Margate

$80 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 8.5% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,200 in Margate and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 252% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in Margate vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Margate

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

6 h behind Margate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,465

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Margate Playa del Carmen 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Margate
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 98% lower than in Margate. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 252% higher in Margate, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,200 in Margate versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,397 per month in Margate versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 243% less than in Margate. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,397 in Margate, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Margate. 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 $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Margate. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.