Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chelmsford

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,509 in Chelmsford, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Chelmsford
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Chelmsford Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Chelmsford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,509 in Chelmsford.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Chelmsford $2,509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,892 in Chelmsford.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Chelmsford $3,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,275 in Chelmsford.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Chelmsford $5,275

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 52% less than in Chelmsford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Chelmsford is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$26.94 £20.21

-60.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$59.0 £44.23

-27.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$9.14 £6.86

28.99%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$4.65 £3.49

-16.77%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$3.07 £2.31

-55.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.71 £1.28

-50.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$7.19 £5.39

-56.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$7.06 £5.30

-28.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.67 £1.26

-13.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.26 £1.70

-1.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.79 £2.09

-47.31%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.48 £2.61

-27.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.13 £6.10

-10.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$8.38 £6.29

-6.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$14.15 £10.62

-9.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.26 £1.70

28.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.46 £1.09

-1.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.66 £2.74

-30.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.31 £2.48

-37.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.80 £1.35

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.52 £1.14

32.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.16 £0.87

2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.81 £1.36

-30.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$22.50 £16.88

-80.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$12.01 £9.01

-20.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.88 £2.16

-44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.46 £2.60

-18.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$3.95 £2.96

-85.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$69.1 £51.8

-59.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$4.77 £3.58

4.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.69 £1.26

107.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$26.93 £20.20

-79.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$2.03 £1.52

-27.59%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$37.8K £28.4K

-44.49%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$40.2K £30.2K

-40.60%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$261 £196

-67.79%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$14.64 £10.98

63.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$34.74 £26.07

-16.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$50.6 £37.93

24.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$17.12 £12.84

-71.14%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$1,881 £1,412

-89.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$13.2K £9,885

-70.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$98.9 £74.2

-55.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$43.37 £32.53

-0.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$95.6 £71.8

-20.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$86.0 £64.5

3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,575 £1,182

-36.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,197 £898

-68.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$2,698 £2,024

-36.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$2,510 £1,883

-55.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$2,933 £2,200

-74.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.21

119.77%

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 Chelmsford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Chelmsford

$1.2K 47.7% 220% $823

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Chelmsford

$305 12.1% 17.9% $46

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Chelmsford

$368 14.7% 81.9% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Chelmsford

$311 12.4% 127% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Chelmsford

$146 5.8% 29% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Chelmsford

$85 3.4% 16.4% $12

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Chelmsford

$98 3.9% 86.5% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,575 in Chelmsford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chelmsford pays 289% 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 $59.0 in Chelmsford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $305 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇧 Chelmsford

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

176,194

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Chelmsford 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chelmsford

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 Chelmsford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Chelmsford differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $2,509 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 289% lower in Chelmsford. 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 $1,575 in Chelmsford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,881 in Chelmsford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Chelmsford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,509 in Chelmsford, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Chelmsford. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Chelmsford 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 107% less than in Chelmsford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.