Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Canterbury Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Canterbury

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,305 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,955 in Canterbury.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,334 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,200 in Canterbury.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,362 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,445 in Canterbury.

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 56% less than in Canterbury, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 5% below, Canterbury is 114% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 MX$203

$24.40 £18.04

-50.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.38 MX$804

$92.7 £68.5

-48.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.75 MX$199

$10.94 £8.08

7.40%

Cappuccino

$4.12 MX$70.0

$4.79 £3.54

-13.99%

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

$1.40 MX$23.74

$2.60 £1.92

-46.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$15.48

$2.21 £1.63

-58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$54.4

$7.36 £5.44

-56.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 MX$120

$6.94 £5.13

1.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$28.44

$1.50 £1.11

12.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 MX$36.48

$1.33 £0.98

61.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 MX$30.10

$1.74 £1.28

1.72%

Eggs

$2.82 MX$47.76

$3.25 £2.40

-13.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 MX$156

$9.50 £7.02

-3.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 MX$157

$8.04 £5.95

14.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 MX$214

$27.84 £20.58

-54.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MX$50.1

$3.10 £2.29

-4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$26.79

$1.43 £1.06

10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MX$37.70

$3.25 £2.40

-31.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$40.09

$3.37 £2.49

-29.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$33.81

$1.62 £1.20

22.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 MX$33.58

$1.44 £1.06

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 MX$21.04

$1.81 £1.34

-31.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$20.55

$2.75 £2.03

-56.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.60 MX$78.1

$23.65 £17.48

-80.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.52 MX$178

$15.94 £11.78

-34.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$28.70

$2.81 £2.07

-39.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 MX$47.06

$4.10 £3.03

-32.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.22

$4.01 £2.96

-85.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 MX$504

$145 £107

-79.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.24 MX$88.8

$5.22 £3.86

0.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.65 MX$61.9

$2.64 £1.95

38.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 MX$98.1

$21.98 £16.25

-73.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$26.09

$1.91 £1.41

-19.37%

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

$22.8K MX$386.8K

$38.0K £28.1K

-40.04%

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

$25.8K MX$437.9K

$40.7K £30.1K

-36.60%

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

$90.7 MX$1,538

$402 £297

-77.43%

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

$25.19 MX$427

$36.04 £26.64

-30.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.75 MX$539

$42.16 £31.16

-24.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 MX$1,167

$56.6 £41.80

21.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.37 MX$498

$38.04 £28.11

-22.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MX$82.5

$20.22 £14.95

-75.96%

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

$226 MX$3,828

$878 £649

-74.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,194 MX$71.1K

$20.4K £15.0K

-79.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.38 MX$804

$99.6 £73.6

-52.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.45 MX$737

$29.19 £21.57

48.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 MX$1,361

$80.7 £59.6

-0.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,550

$148 £109

-38.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MX$18.4K

$1,437 £1,062

-24.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 MX$6,933

$1,349 £997

-69.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 MX$33.5K

$2,435 £1,800

-19.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 MX$21.7K

$2,062 £1,524

-37.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,046 MX$68.6K

$5,280 £3,902

-23.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,704 MX$113.7K

$4,424 £3,269

51.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 MX$13.1K

$3,311 £2,447

-76.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.51

107.80%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 7, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,086 in Playa del Carmen and $1,437 in Canterbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canterbury pays 328% 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: $47.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $93.0 in Canterbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $356 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 126% lower than in Canterbury. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 328% lower in Canterbury. 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: $1,086 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,437 in Canterbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $226 in Playa del Carmen versus $878 in Canterbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Canterbury. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,305 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,955 in Canterbury, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Canterbury. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,305 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Canterbury 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 126% less than in Canterbury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.