Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Craigavon

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,440 in Craigavon, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Craigavon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,440
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,440 in Craigavon, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Craigavon $2,440

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,614 in Craigavon, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Craigavon $3,614

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,789 in Craigavon, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Craigavon $4,789

Playa del Carmen is about 51% cheaper than Craigavon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Craigavon is 80% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Craigavon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$23.57 £17.68
-53.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$108 £81.4
-59.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$10.44 £7.84
12.64%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$5.11 £3.83
-27.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$2.53 £1.90
-47.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$2.19 £1.64
-62.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$7.82 £5.87
-60.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$8.14 £6.11
-39.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Craigavon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.69 £1.27
-13.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$1.61 £1.21
37.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$2.31 £1.73
-35.93%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$4.94 £3.70
-49.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$9.32 £7.00
-19.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$9.28 £6.96
-14.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$16.30 £12.23
-22.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$3.04 £2.28
-8.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$1.98 £1.49
-27.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$2.86 £2.14
-8.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$3.76 £2.82
-43.09%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$2.00 £1.50
1.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$1.59 £1.19
25.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$1.28 £0.96
-10.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$1.91 £1.43
-37.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$23.82 £17.87
-82.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$10.97 £8.23
-8.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$3.19 £2.39
-51.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$3.18 £2.38
-16.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Craigavon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$3.19 £2.39
-83.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$104 £77.8
-73.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$5.35 £4.02
-8.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$1.82 £1.36
88.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$29.15 £21.87
-81.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$2.13 £1.60
-31.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$38.8K £29.1K
-45.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$41.2K £30.9K
-44.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Craigavon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$323 £242
-73.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$16.42 £12.32
42.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$43.04 £32.29
-33.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Craigavon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$52.8 £39.62
17.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$12.00 £9.00
-57.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Craigavon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$1,768 £1,326
-88.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$25.5K £19.1K
-84.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Craigavon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$81.4 £61.0
-45.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$49.73 £37.31
-16.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$109 £81.5
-33.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$115 £86.0
-21.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Craigavon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$1,176 £882
-16.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$1,011 £759
-63.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$1,866 £1,400
-9.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$1,603 £1,202
-31.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$5,138 £3,855
-23.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$4,096 £3,073
49.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Craigavon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.77
140.04%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Craigavon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Craigavon
$1K 171% $638
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Craigavon
$324 25.4% $66
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Craigavon
$355 77.5% $155
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Craigavon
$383 179% $245
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Craigavon
$159 42.8% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Craigavon
$77 6.1% $4.4
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Craigavon
$131 153% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,176 in Craigavon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $108 in Craigavon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $324 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇬🇧 Craigavon
🕒 Local time
19:26 7:26 PM
01:26 1:26 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
57,651
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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 22, 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 Craigavon 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Craigavon

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 Craigavon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Craigavon compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,440 in Craigavon – roughly 103% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Craigavon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,660 in Craigavon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Craigavon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Craigavon?
Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,768 in Craigavon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 25% more in Craigavon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Craigavon at $2,440. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Craigavon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Craigavon?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,440 in Craigavon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Craigavon?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Craigavon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?