Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oxford and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,210 in Oxford, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Oxford
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Oxford Living Index
58

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

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Oxford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,210

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,210 per month in Oxford vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Oxford $3,210
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,477 per month in Oxford vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Oxford $4,477
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,743 per month in Oxford vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Oxford $5,743
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Oxford costs about 167% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Oxford sits 136% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.95 £18.61

$10.92 MX$205

128.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £77.5

$43.37 MX$813

139.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 £7.90

$11.78 MX$221

-10.02%

Cappuccino

$4.94 £3.68

$3.81 MX$71.4

29.66%

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

$4.46 £3.32

$1.28 MX$24.03

248.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$0.78 MX$14.67

180.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.04 £6.74

$3.17 MX$59.3

185.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 £6.38

$4.93 MX$92.5

73.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.41 MX$26.35

19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.26

$2.22 MX$41.54

-23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.42 MX$26.56

38.73%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.03

$2.52 MX$47.27

61.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.74 £10.25

$7.26 MX$136

89.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 £6.40

$7.70 MX$144

11.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 £11.06

$12.69 MX$238

16.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 £2.49

$2.78 MX$52.2

19.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.37 MX$25.64

24.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 £2.24

$2.55 MX$47.80

18.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 £2.78

$2.12 MX$39.78

75.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.94 MX$36.32

-10.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 £1.31

$1.89 MX$35.34

-6.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.15 MX$21.49

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.18 MX$22.09

36.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.70 £17.67

$4.30 MX$80.5

451.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 £8.43

$9.95 MX$186

13.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.43

$1.58 MX$29.67

106.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.53

$2.67 MX$50.1

26.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.90

$0.55 MX$10.37

607.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 £81.9

$26.62 MX$499

312.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 £3.71

$4.97 MX$93.1

0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 £2.37

$3.33 MX$62.4

-4.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.14 £31.42

$5.36 MX$100

686.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.57

$1.44 MX$27.06

46.53%

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

$38.4K £28.7K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

86.00%

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

$41.1K £30.7K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

75.23%

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

$361 £269

$84.8 MX$1,589

325.69%

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

$18.08 £13.48

$23.41 MX$439

-22.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.18 £32.94

$28.66 MX$537

54.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.85 £31.20

$57.1 MX$1,069

-26.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.49 £8.56

$28.91 MX$542

-60.26%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 £11.95

$5.14 MX$96.3

211.87%

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

$2,254 £1,680

$207 MX$3,871

991.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K £11.4K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

287.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.8 £73.7

$43.35 MX$812

127.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.09 £34.36

$41.44 MX$777

11.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.3

$74.2 MX$1,390

37.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.6

$89.3 MX$1,672

16.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,187 £1,631

$980 MX$18.4K

123.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 £1,272

$381 MX$7,136

347.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,231 £2,409

$1,708 MX$32.0K

89.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 £1,837

$1,075 MX$20.1K

129.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,794 £6,556

$3,943 MX$73.9K

123.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,600 £4,921

$6,158 MX$115.4K

7.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,032 £3,006

$735 MX$13.8K

448.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

11.45

-58.17%

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

Last update for Oxford: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oxford

$1.7K 53.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 77.7% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oxford

$423 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 67.7% $286

Eating Out

Oxford

$380 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 46.7% $177

Groceries & Markets

Oxford

$323 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 21.1% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Oxford

$158 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.3% $46

Getting Around

Oxford

$146 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 65.5% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Oxford

$74 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,187 in Oxford versus $980 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 in Oxford are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Oxford versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Oxford

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

16:53 4:53 PM

5 h behind Oxford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,000

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Oxford
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

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

Oxford costs about 167% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,815 per month in Oxford 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $2,187 in Oxford.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Oxford and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,210 in Oxford and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 62% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Oxford at $3,210. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oxford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $3,210 in Oxford. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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