Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bexley

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,406 in Bexley, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Bexley
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,406
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bexley actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,406 in Bexley.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Bexley $2,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,558 in Bexley.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Bexley $3,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,709 in Bexley.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Bexley $4,709

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Bexley is 78% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Bexley
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$25.18 £18.89
-57.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$94.8 £71.2
-54.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$10.12 £7.60
16.50%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$4.67 £3.51
-17.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$3.03 £2.27
-54.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$2.14 £1.61
-60.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$8.86 £6.65
-65.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$7.99 £5.99
-36.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Bexley
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$1.82 £1.37
-20.88%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$2.00 £1.50
11.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$2.11 £1.58
-30.33%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$4.36 £3.27
-41.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$11.93 £8.95
-38.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$9.05 £6.79
-13.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$15.19 £11.40
-15.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$2.97 £2.23
-2.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$1.35 £1.02
6.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$2.95 £2.21
-13.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$3.26 £2.44
-36.81%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$1.61 £1.21
24.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$1.72 £1.29
16.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$1.13 £0.85
5.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$1.63 £1.22
-22.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$23.86 £17.90
-81.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$11.21 £8.41
-14.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$2.92 £2.19
-45.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$3.22 £2.41
-12.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Bexley
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$3.52 £2.64
-83.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
$96.1 £72.1
-71.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$5.09 £3.82
-2.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$2.58 £1.94
35.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
$25.52 £19.15
-78.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$2.14 £1.61
-31.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
$38.6K £29.0K
-45.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
$41.0K £30.7K
-41.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Bexley
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$281 £211
-69.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$16.99 £12.75
41.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$39.86 £29.91
-27.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Bexley
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$45.47 £34.11
38.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$17.47 £13.11
-71.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Bexley
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$2,070 £1,553
-90.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$30.6K £23.0K
-87.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Bexley
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$98.5 £73.9
-55.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
$44.80 £33.61
-3.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$104 £78.3
-27.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$88.8 £66.6
-0.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Bexley
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$1,236 £927
-18.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$1,022 £767
-63.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$2,066 £1,550
-17.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$1,640 £1,230
-32.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
$4,968 £3,727
-20.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
$3,816 £2,863
61.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Bexley
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
$2,368 £1,777
-68.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.65
146.24%

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 Bexley: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Bexley
$1K 173% $648
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Bexley
$318 22.9% $59
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Bexley
$369 82.4% $167
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Bexley
$337 146% $200
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Bexley
$151 34% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Bexley
$80 10.3% $7.5
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Bexley
$128 144% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,236 in Bexley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bexley pays 214% 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 $95.0 in Bexley for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $318 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇬🇧 Bexley
🕒 Local time
11:42 11:42 AM
17:42 5:42 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
228,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Bexley 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Bexley

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 Bexley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Bexley?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 99% lower than in Bexley. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Playa del Carmen or in Bexley?
On paper, salaries run 214% lower in Bexley. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Bexley?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,236 in Bexley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Bexley?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 245% less than in Bexley. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Bexley?
Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,070 in Bexley. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Bexley?
At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,406 in Bexley, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bexley. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Bexley?
Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.
How safe is Playa del Carmen compared to Bexley?
Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Bexley are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Bexley. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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