Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newbury and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,862 in Newbury, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Newbury
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Newbury Living Index
59

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

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Newbury

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,862

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,862 per month in Newbury vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Newbury $2,862
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,879 per month in Newbury vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Newbury $3,879
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,897 per month in Newbury vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Newbury $4,897
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Newbury costs about 138% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Newbury sits 111% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.76 £20.08

$10.86 MX$201

146.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.0 £70.5

$44.21 MX$817

112.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.51 £8.63

$11.76 MX$217

-2.13%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.68

$3.68 MX$68.0

33.42%

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

$2.92 £2.19

$1.34 MX$24.79

117.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.82 MX$15.24

168.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 £5.86

$3.06 MX$56.6

155.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.92

$4.94 MX$91.2

32.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.47 MX$27.17

29.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.31

$2.22 MX$40.95

-21.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$1.48 MX$27.32

92.57%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.99

$2.49 MX$45.99

59.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.73 £7.30

$7.52 MX$139

29.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 £7.17

$7.96 MX$147

20.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 £9.61

$12.57 MX$232

1.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 £2.13

$2.78 MX$51.3

2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.43 MX$26.37

2.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.09

$2.62 MX$48.37

6.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$2.14 MX$39.49

64.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$2.02 MX$37.38

-11.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.99 MX$36.74

-21.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.14 MX$21.01

6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.20 MX$22.18

47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.83 £16.38

$4.26 MX$78.7

412.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 £9.86

$10.02 MX$185

31.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 £1.95

$1.54 MX$28.41

68.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 £2.51

$2.66 MX$49.17

25.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.53 MX$9.73

533.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.2 £54.2

$27.51 MX$508

162.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 £3.18

$4.90 MX$90.6

-13.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 £2.05

$3.43 MX$63.5

-20.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.23 £9.93

$5.38 MX$99.4

145.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.45 MX$26.76

37.93%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

83.59%

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

$41.1K £30.9K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

78.75%

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

$328 £246

$85.4 MX$1,577

284.23%

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

$20.76 £15.57

$23.46 MX$434

-11.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.52 £34.90

$28.43 MX$525

63.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 £53.5

$62.2 MX$1,149

14.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.00 £20.26

$28.68 MX$530

-5.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.91 £11.93

$5.10 MX$94.3

211.96%

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

$1,796 £1,347

$201 MX$3,715

793.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.3K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

349.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 £56.5

$44.39 MX$820

69.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 £38.34

$41.35 MX$764

23.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £78.1

$72.7 MX$1,344

43.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 £98.2

$89.6 MX$1,656

46.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 £1,281

$979 MX$18.1K

74.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 £1,054

$373 MX$6,887

277.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 £1,536

$1,681 MX$31.1K

21.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,717 £1,288

$1,095 MX$20.2K

56.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,781 £4,337

$3,949 MX$73.0K

46.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,286 £3,215

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-30.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,538 £2,654

$738 MX$13.6K

379.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-56.33%

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

Last update for Newbury: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newbury

$1.4K 49.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 73.5% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newbury

$395 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 65.3% $258

Eating Out

Newbury

$380 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 47.3% $180

Groceries & Markets

Newbury

$312 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 17.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Newbury

$163 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.3% $51

Getting Around

Newbury

$104 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 50.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Newbury

$103 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 29.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,707 in Newbury versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 380% higher in Newbury, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Newbury versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Newbury

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

22:07 10:07 PM

6 h behind Newbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,841

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 22, 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 22, 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

Newbury Playa del Carmen 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Newbury
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

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

Yes – Newbury is pricier by about 138%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,293 per month in Newbury and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 162% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,796 per month in Newbury and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Newbury at $2,862. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newbury it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Newbury makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.