Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Folkestone

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,977 in Folkestone, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Folkestone
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Folkestone Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Folkestone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,977 in Folkestone, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Folkestone $1,977

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,052 in Folkestone, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Folkestone $3,052

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,128 in Folkestone, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Folkestone $4,128

Playa del Carmen is about 39% cheaper than Folkestone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Folkestone is 46% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$17.37 £13.03

-37.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$66.7 £50.1

-33.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.54 £7.90

11.57%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.74 £3.56

-22.36%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.72 £2.04

-50.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.84 £1.38

-55.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$6.75 £5.06

-54.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$6.45 £4.84

-23.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.50 £1.13

-2.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.33 £1.00

66.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.30 £0.98

13.85%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.98 £2.23

-16.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$9.60 £7.20

-21.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$7.80 £5.85

2.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$14.76 £11.07

-14.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.25 £2.44

-14.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.45 £1.09

-1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.79 £2.09

-6.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.26 £2.44

-34.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.59 £1.20

27.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.41 £1.06

41.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.69 £1.27

-32.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.48 £1.11

-18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$23.97 £17.98

-82.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.79 £8.09

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.78 £2.09

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.67 £2.75

-27.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$2.71 £2.03

-80.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$32.78 £24.59

-16.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.32 £0.99

271.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.68 £1.26

104.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$21.69 £16.28

-75.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.98 £1.48

-26.77%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$38.4K £28.8K

-44.87%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$40.6K £30.5K

-43.29%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$253 £190

-66.22%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$24.53 £18.40

-4.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$40.77 £30.58

-30.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$73.1 £54.8

-14.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$9.46 £7.10

203.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$21.11 £15.84

-75.84%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$1,046 £785

-80.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$20.3K £15.2K

-80.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$69.4 £52.1

-36.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$31.93 £23.95

29.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$77.6 £58.2

-6.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$51.1 £38.30

75.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,130 £848

-13.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$810 £607

-53.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,479 £1,109

13.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,631 £1,224

-32.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,465 £2,600

13.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$3,474 £2,606

76.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.91

133.20%

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 Folkestone: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Folkestone

$810 41% 117% $437

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Folkestone

$285 14.4% 10.3% $27

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Folkestone

$292 14.8% 46% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Folkestone

$318 16.1% 132% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Folkestone

$103 5.2% 7.3% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Folkestone

$115 5.8% 59.3% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Folkestone

$53 2.7% 3.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,130 in Folkestone. 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 $67.0 in Folkestone. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $285 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇧 Folkestone

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

45,273

💱 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 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Folkestone 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Folkestone

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 Folkestone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,977 in Folkestone – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,966 in Folkestone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $67.0 in Folkestone. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,977 in Folkestone. That's a gap of about 64%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Folkestone at $1,977. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Folkestone it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,977 in Folkestone. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Folkestone makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.