Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesex and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,323 in Middlesex, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Middlesex
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Middlesex Living Index
57

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

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Middlesex

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,323

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,323 in Middlesex versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Middlesex $2,323
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,517 in Middlesex versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Middlesex $3,517
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,710 in Middlesex versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Middlesex $4,710
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Middlesex is roughly 93% 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: Middlesex is 72% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 £15.74

$10.67 MX$199

98.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 £52.1

$43.80 MX$815

60.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.69 £7.18

$11.79 MX$219

-17.81%

Cappuccino

$4.07 £3.02

$3.79 MX$70.5

7.39%

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

$3.12 £2.31

$1.30 MX$24.14

140.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 £1.48

$0.83 MX$15.51

139.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 £3.63

$3.15 MX$58.6

55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 £3.11

$4.93 MX$91.8

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 £0.97

$1.41 MX$26.22

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 £1.06

$2.20 MX$40.86

-35.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 £2.75

$1.47 MX$27.40

152.38%

Eggs

$3.73 £2.76

$2.50 MX$46.47

49.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 £5.62

$7.29 MX$136

3.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.07 £5.24

$7.95 MX$148

-11.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.09 £10.45

$12.86 MX$239

9.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 £2.39

$2.90 MX$53.9

11.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 £0.76

$1.38 MX$25.74

-26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 £0.76

$2.49 MX$46.36

-59.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 £2.75

$2.03 MX$37.78

82.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.34

$2.02 MX$37.69

-10.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.31

$1.90 MX$35.42

-6.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 £0.73

$1.14 MX$21.30

-14.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.43

$1.24 MX$23.06

55.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.91 £16.99

$4.27 MX$79.5

436.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 £7.09

$9.81 MX$183

-2.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.84 £3.59

$1.59 MX$29.51

204.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 £2.68

$2.75 MX$51.1

31.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 £2.76

$0.51 MX$9.58

629.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 £78.4

$27.39 MX$510

286.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 £2.42

$4.76 MX$88.6

-31.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 £1.17

$3.25 MX$60.5

-51.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.63 £24.94

$5.39 MX$100

523.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 £1.50

$1.53 MX$28.44

32.03%

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

$39.0K £28.9K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

83.70%

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

$40.9K £30.3K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

75.71%

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

$355 £263

$83.5 MX$1,554

324.89%

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

$25.76 £19.10

$23.19 MX$431

11.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.95 £29.63

$27.61 MX$514

44.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.44 £35.18

$56.4 MX$1,050

-15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$17.54 £13.01

$5.00 MX$93.1

250.80%

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

$1,632 £1,210

$207 MX$3,854

688.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K £14.1K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

262.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 £81.7

$43.45 MX$809

153.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 £41.60

$42.54 MX$792

31.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £84.7

$72.8 MX$1,354

56.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 £84.2

$88.4 MX$1,645

28.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 £944

$995 MX$18.5K

27.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 £683

$382 MX$7,116

140.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 £1,379

$1,674 MX$31.2K

11.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 £1,352

$1,081 MX$20.1K

68.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,152 £3,821

$3,909 MX$72.7K

31.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,899 £2,891

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-36.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

11.45

-51.70%

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

Last update for Middlesex: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middlesex

$921 39.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 58.5% $539

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middlesex

$420 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 68.1% $286

Eating Out

Middlesex

$301 13%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 33.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Middlesex

$289 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 10.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Middlesex

$177 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 37.3% $66

Getting Around

Middlesex

$132 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 61.7% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Middlesex

$83 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 19.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,273 in Middlesex and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Middlesex vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Middlesex

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

10:08 10:08 AM

5 h behind Middlesex

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,162

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.831 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Middlesex Playa del Carmen 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Middlesex
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,484 in Middlesex and $1,804 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: $1,273 in Middlesex versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,323 per month in Middlesex versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 74% less than in Middlesex. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,323 in Middlesex, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Middlesex. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Middlesex. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.