Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Harlow

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,330 in Harlow, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,330 in Harlow.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Harlow $2,330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,407 in Harlow.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Harlow $3,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,483 in Harlow.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Harlow $4,483

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 48% less than in Harlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Harlow is 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$21.01 £15.76

-48.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$91.7 £68.8

-51.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.47 £7.86

12.32%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.47 £4.11

-32.72%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.63 £1.97

-49.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.85 £1.39

-55.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$6.81 £5.11

-55.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$6.87 £5.15

-28.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.30 £0.98

13.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.41 £1.06

57.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.11 £0.84

33.33%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.38 £1.79

4.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$6.83 £5.12

10.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.05 £4.54

31.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.45 £4.84

94.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.05 £1.54

35.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.23 £0.92

16.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.15 £0.87

127.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.02 £1.52

5.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.63 £1.22

23.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.34 £1.01

48.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.34 £1.01

-14.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.43 £1.07

-16.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$21.29 £15.97

-79.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.33 £7.00

7.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.70 £2.02

-42.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.04 £1.53

30.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$2.73 £2.04

-80.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$5.84 £4.38

-16.10%

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

$21.15 £15.87

-74.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.92 £1.44

-24.48%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$39.0K £29.2K

-45.72%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$40.1K £30.1K

-42.66%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$226 £169

-62.22%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$11.95 £8.97

96.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$28.54 £21.41

-0.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$47.10 £35.34

32.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$8.06 £6.05

255.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$12.56 £9.42

-59.39%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$1,061 £796

-81.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$19.7K £14.8K

-80.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$68.8 £51.6

-35.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$32.19 £24.15

28.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$77.0 £57.8

-5.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$39.33 £29.51

127.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,403 £1,053

-30.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,328 £996

-71.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,276 £1,708

-26.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$2,182 £1,637

-49.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,013 £2,260

-75.52%

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 Harlow: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Harlow

$1.3K 57% 256% $955

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Harlow

$210 9% 18.8% $49

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Harlow

$331 14.2% 65.3% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Harlow

$266 11.4% 94.1% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Harlow

$98 4.2% 12.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Harlow

$72 3.1% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Harlow

$25 * 1.1% 51.3% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $1,403 in Harlow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harlow pays 309% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $92.0 in Harlow. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $210, with Harlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇧 Harlow

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

86,191

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 Harlow 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Harlow

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 Harlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Harlow differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $2,330 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 309% lower in Harlow. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,403 in Harlow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Harlow pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,330 in Harlow – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,330 in Harlow, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Harlow. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Harlow are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Harlow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.