Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Falmouth, United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,996 in Falmouth, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Falmouth, United Kingdom
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Falmouth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,996
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,996 in Falmouth, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Falmouth $1,996

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,007 in Falmouth, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Falmouth $3,007

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,018 in Falmouth, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Falmouth $4,018

Playa del Carmen is about 40% cheaper than Falmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Falmouth is 48% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Falmouth
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$198
$23.26 £17.29
-54.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$813
$92.6 £68.8
-52.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$9.90 £7.36
19.09%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.3
$4.94 £3.67
-23.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.07
$2.89 £2.15
-55.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.47
$1.77 £1.31
-53.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.4
$6.65 £4.94
-52.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.6
$6.59 £4.89
-25.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Falmouth
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.14
$1.78 £1.33
-20.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.75
$1.98 £1.47
11.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.33
$1.70 £1.26
-13.53%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.34
$5.24 £3.89
-52.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$135
$4.08 £3.04
78.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$8.01 £5.95
-0.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$16.72 £12.43
-23.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.8
$3.39 £2.52
-14.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.67
$1.76 £1.31
-21.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.23
$2.47 £1.83
0.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.67
$3.19 £2.37
-36.36%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.58
$2.04 £1.52
-0.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.32
$1.70 £1.26
11.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.24
$1.79 £1.33
-36.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$22.99
$1.98 £1.47
-37.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.3
$24.14 £17.94
-82.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$182
$10.57 £7.86
-7.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.43
$2.48 £1.84
-35.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.0
$1.57 £1.17
75.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Falmouth
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.56
$5.67 £4.21
-91.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$508
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.4
$4.48 £3.33
6.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.3
$1.94 £1.44
67.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$23.98 £17.82
-77.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.36
$2.06 £1.53
-25.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$393.7K
$39.1K £29.1K
-45.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$431.7K
$40.6K £30.2K
-42.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Falmouth
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,549
$267 £199
-68.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$430
$20.07 £14.92
15.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$512
$42.40 £31.51
-34.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Falmouth
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,047
$59.1 £43.93
-4.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$523
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$92.8
$12.09 £8.99
-58.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Falmouth
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,843
$2,214 £1,645
-90.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.1K
$27.8K £20.7K
-81.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Falmouth
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$806
$56.1 £41.66
-22.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$789
$30.76 £22.86
38.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,350
$101 £74.9
-27.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,640
$59.9 £44.55
47.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Falmouth
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$802 £596
24.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,097
$796 £592
-51.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.1K
$2,115 £1,572
-20.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$1,321 £982
-18.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$113.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Falmouth
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.5
227.14%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Falmouth: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Falmouth
$796 108% $414
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Falmouth
$298 15.9% $41
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Falmouth
$340 69.8% $140
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Falmouth
$330 146% $195
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Falmouth
$111 0.2% $0.2
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Falmouth
$83 25.3% $17
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Falmouth
$37 * 27% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $802 in Falmouth. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $93 in Falmouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $298 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇬🇧 Falmouth
🕒 Local time
09:30 9:30 AM
14:30 2:30 PM
5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
25,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Falmouth 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Falmouth

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 Falmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Falmouth?
Yes – Falmouth is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,993 in Falmouth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Falmouth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $802 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Falmouth?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $93 in Falmouth. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Falmouth?
Groceries cost about 16% more in Falmouth, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Falmouth?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Falmouth at $1,996. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Falmouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Falmouth?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,996 in Falmouth. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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