Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in East London
Learn more

East London Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $992 in East London, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
East London $992

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,611 in East London, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
East London $1,611

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,230 in East London, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
East London $2,230

Playa del Carmen costs about 21% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and East London are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, East London 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$9.10 R 151

20.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$38.23 R 635

13.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.57 R 92.5

111.49%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$2.05 R 34.01

85.85%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$1.04 R 17.30

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.76 R 12.68

2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$2.69 R 44.62

17.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$3.21 R 53.3

53.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.18 R 19.67

19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$0.87 R 14.51

155.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.44 R 23.94

-1.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$2.27 R 37.75

11.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.37 R 139

-13.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.49 R 91.2

40.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$6.71 R 111

89.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$1.46 R 24.26

90.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.53 R 25.39

-10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.63 R 27.12

56.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.43 R 23.81

48.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.68 R 27.84

15.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.43 R 23.69

32.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.17 R 19.45

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.95 R 15.79

24.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$2.89 R 47.99

48.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.70 R 78.0

111.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.19 R 19.76

32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$0.98 R 16.35

172.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$1.47 R 24.48

-62.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$46.85 R 778

-43.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$1.22 R 20.27

307.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.46 R 7.58

623.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$8.38 R 139

-36.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.35 R 22.41

6.67%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$34.7K R 575.7K

-40.39%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$29.3K R 486.3K

-19.86%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$122 R 2,030

-30.66%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$32.64 R 542

-28.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$44.35 R 736

-35.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$39.51 R 656

44.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$4.54 R 75.4

13.22%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$177 R 2,941

16.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$5,438 R 90.3K

-27.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$56.8 R 944

-23.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$32.80 R 545

26.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$73.1 R 1,213

1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$95.2 R 1,580

-6.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$290 R 4,822

237.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$251 R 4,161

51.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$543 R 9,011

214.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$633 R 10.5K

69.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$1,664 R 27.6K

-55.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

East London

$251 25.3% 34.2% $130

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

East London

$180 18.1% 29.5% $75

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

East London

$141 14.2% 30.2% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

East London

$199 20.1% 45.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

East London

$116 11.7% 3.9% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

East London

$49 4.9% 27.8% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

East London

$56 5.7% 11.5% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $290 in East London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in East London are about 2.3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $38 in East London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $180 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

11:45 11:45 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

267,007

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen East London 13,520 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $992 in East London – East London comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,487 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $177 in East London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward East London – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.