Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ayr, South Ayrshire

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,828 in Ayr, South Ayrshire, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ayr, South Ayrshire, United Kingdom
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Ayr, South Ayrshire
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,828
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ayr, South Ayrshire

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 Ayr, South Ayrshire actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,828 in Ayr, South Ayrshire, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Ayr, South Ayrshire $1,828

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,756 in Ayr, South Ayrshire, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Ayr, South Ayrshire $2,756

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,684 in Ayr, South Ayrshire, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Ayr, South Ayrshire $3,684

Playa del Carmen is about 34% cheaper than Ayr, South Ayrshire, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Ayr, South Ayrshire is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$198
$21.20 £15.77
-49.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$812
$81.4 £60.6
-46.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$10.68 £7.94
10.39%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.2
$4.31 £3.20
-12.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.04
$2.12 £1.58
-38.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.45
$1.32 £0.98
-37.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.3
$5.46 £4.06
-42.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.5
$5.87 £4.37
-16.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.11
$1.12 £0.83
25.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.69
$1.71 £1.27
28.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.29
$0.68 £0.50
116.18%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.28
$2.73 £2.03
-8.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$135
$7.79 £5.79
-6.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$147
$7.77 £5.78
2.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$238
$13.36 £9.94
-3.74%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.7
$2.52 £1.88
15.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.64
$1.24 £0.92
11.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.17
$2.93 £2.18
-15.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.62
$2.76 £2.05
-26.45%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.53
$0.91 £0.68
121.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.28
$1.31 £0.98
45.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.21
$1.00 £0.74
14.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$22.96
$1.30 £0.97
-4.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.2
$22.85 £17.00
-81.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$182
$12.17 £9.06
-19.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.39
$3.26 £2.42
-51.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$50.9
$3.24 £2.41
-15.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.54
$3.56 £2.65
-85.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$508
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.3
$5.80 £4.32
-17.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.2
$1.89 £1.41
71.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100.0
$26.84 £19.97
-79.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.32
$2.10 £1.56
-27.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$393.2K
$38.9K £28.9K
-45.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$431.2K
$35.5K £26.4K
-34.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,547
$243 £181
-65.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$430
$13.30 £9.90
74.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$512
$31.97 £23.78
-13.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,046
$40.21 £29.91
40.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$523
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$92.7
$13.29 £9.89
-62.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,838
$1,845 £1,373
-88.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.0K
$24.2K £18.0K
-78.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$805
$99.4 £73.9
-56.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$788
$57.2 £42.58
-25.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,349
$122 £90.5
-40.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,638
$88.8 £66.0
-0.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.4K
$737 £548
34.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,087
$711 £529
-46.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.0K
$1,126 £838
48.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.0K
$1,190 £885
-9.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$113.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ayr, South Ayrshire
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.4K
$3,595 £2,674
-76.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.5
154.44%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ayr, South Ayrshire: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Ayr, South Ayrshire
$711 85.8% $328
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Ayr, South Ayrshire
$262 1.7% $4.4
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Ayr, South Ayrshire
$306 52.8% $106
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Ayr, South Ayrshire
$288 115% $154
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Ayr, South Ayrshire
$165 48.5% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Ayr, South Ayrshire
$67 0.5% $0.4
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Ayr, South Ayrshire
$29 * 41.5% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $737 in Ayr, South Ayrshire. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ayr, South Ayrshire are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $81 in Ayr, South Ayrshire. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $262 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇬🇧 Ayr, South Ayrshire
🕒 Local time
05:56 5:56 AM
10:56 10:56 AM
5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
46,849
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.53 MXN (100 MXN = 5.4 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.744 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Ayr, South Ayrshire 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Ayr, South Ayrshire

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 Ayr, South Ayrshire: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Ayr, South Ayrshire?
Yes – Ayr, South Ayrshire is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,742 in Ayr, South Ayrshire. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ayr, South Ayrshire, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $737 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Ayr, South Ayrshire?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $81 in Ayr, South Ayrshire. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,845 in Ayr, South Ayrshire. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Ayr, South Ayrshire?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Ayr, South Ayrshire at $1,828. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ayr, South Ayrshire it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Ayr, South Ayrshire?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,828 in Ayr, South Ayrshire. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ayr, South Ayrshire makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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