Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ashford

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,427 in Ashford, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ashford
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Ashford Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Ashford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ashford

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Ashford actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,427 in Ashford.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Ashford $2,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,351 in Ashford.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Ashford $3,351

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,276 in Ashford.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Ashford $4,276

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 50% less than in Ashford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Ashford is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$20.96 £15.73

-48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$79.9 £60.0

-46.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$10.49 £7.87

12.39%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$5.74 £4.30

-32.58%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.74 £2.05

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.82 £1.37

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.89 £2.92

-20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$7.09 £5.32

-28.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.48 £1.11

-2.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.32 £0.99

68.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.69 £1.26

-13.02%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.00 £2.25

-15.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$5.22 £3.92

39.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.91 £5.18

13.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$14.39 £10.79

-11.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.28 £2.46

-11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.44 £1.08

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.67 £2.01

-4.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.17 £2.38

-35.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.67 £1.25

19.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.46 £1.09

37.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.44 £1.08

-17.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.42 £1.07

-11.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$18.83 £14.13

-76.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$9.24 £6.93

3.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.67 £2.00

-40.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.63 £2.73

-22.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$3.89 £2.92

-85.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$146 £110

-80.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$6.11 £4.58

-18.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.68 £1.26

108.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$21.44 £16.08

-74.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$2.07 £1.55

-28.99%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$35.0K £26.2K

-39.98%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$41.1K £30.9K

-41.87%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$244 £183

-65.45%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$24.30 £18.23

-1.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$38.52 £28.90

-24.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$61.3 £45.99

2.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$18.74 £14.06

55.50%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$21.45 £16.10

-76.97%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$1,076 £808

-81.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$19.8K £14.9K

-80.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$69.5 £52.1

-37.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$31.50 £23.63

36.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$76.7 £57.6

-1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$100 £75.1

-11.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,115 £836

-9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,133 £850

-66.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,708 £1,282

0.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,425 £1,069

-22.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$6,328 £4,748

-37.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$4,671 £3,504

32.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$2,452 £1,840

-69.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.91

133.20%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ashford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Ashford

$1.1K 46.7% 203% $759

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Ashford

$262 10.8% 1.2% $3.1

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Ashford

$320 13.2% 58.2% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Ashford

$307 12.6% 123% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Ashford

$125 5.2% 10.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Ashford

$104 4.3% 43% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Ashford

$176 7.3% 236% $124

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,115 in Ashford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashford pays 225% 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: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $80.0 in Ashford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $262 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇧 Ashford

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

05:27 5:27 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

58,936

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ashford 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ashford

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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 225% lower in Ashford. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,115 in Ashford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $80.0 in Ashford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,427 in Ashford – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,427 in Ashford, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ashford. 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 Ashford, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Ashford are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Ashford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.