Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Greenock

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,404 in Greenock, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Greenock, United Kingdom
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Greenock
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,404
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,404 in Greenock, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Greenock $2,404

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,443 in Greenock, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Greenock $3,443

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,482 in Greenock, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Greenock $4,482

Playa del Carmen is about 50% cheaper than Greenock, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Greenock is 78% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Greenock
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$13.38 £9.93
-20.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$95.2 £70.7
-54.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$9.28 £6.89
27.05%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.41 £2.53
11.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$2.02 £1.50
-35.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$1.37 £1.02
-39.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$5.22 £3.87
-39.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$8.27 £6.14
-40.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Greenock
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$0.89 £0.66
58.43%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$2.32 £1.72
-5.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$2.61 £1.93
-43.68%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$3.18 £2.36
-21.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$11.01 £8.17
-33.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$11.34 £8.41
-29.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$16.20 £12.02
-20.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$3.14 £2.33
-7.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.08 £1.54
-33.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$3.43 £2.54
-27.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$4.12 £3.05
-50.73%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$2.37 £1.76
-14.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$1.62 £1.20
17.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.37 £1.02
-16.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$1.92 £1.42
-35.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$24.08 £17.86
-82.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$12.34 £9.15
-20.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$2.86 £2.12
-44.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$3.08 £2.29
-10.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Greenock
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$4.13 £3.07
-87.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$98.9 £73.4
-72.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$4.70 £3.49
1.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$1.57 £1.17
107.01%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$20.49 £15.21
-73.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$2.18 £1.62
-29.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$38.1K £28.3K
-44.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$40.3K £29.9K
-42.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Greenock
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$274 £203
-69.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$24.80 £18.40
-6.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$46.57 £34.55
-40.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Greenock
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$48.05 £35.65
17.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$14.62 £10.85
-65.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Greenock
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$1,576 £1,169
-86.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$13.8K £10.3K
-62.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Greenock
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$85.0 £63.1
-48.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$45.92 £34.07
-7.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$109 £80.6
-33.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$103 £76.3
-14.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Greenock
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$1,279 £949
-22.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$1,128 £837
-66.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$2,050 £1,521
-18.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$1,634 £1,212
-33.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$5,360 £3,977
-27.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$3,663 £2,718
67.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Greenock
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.97
130.38%

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 Greenock: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Greenock
$1.1K 195% $745
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Greenock
$340 32.1% $83
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Greenock
$232 15.9% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Greenock
$345 157% $211
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Greenock
$154 38.6% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Greenock
$77 16.3% $11
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Greenock
$128 154% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,279 in Greenock. 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 $95 in Greenock. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $340 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇬🇧 Greenock
🕒 Local time
23:14 11:14 PM
04:14 4:14 AM
5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
42,800
💱 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 = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Greenock 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Greenock

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 Greenock: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Greenock?
Greenock costs about 100% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Greenock?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,606 in Greenock. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Greenock?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,279 in Greenock.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Greenock?
Public transport costs about 72% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Greenock?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,576 in Greenock. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Greenock?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Greenock at $2,404. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Greenock it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 50% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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