Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Harrow Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Harrow

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,262 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,120 in Harrow.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,158 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,566 in Harrow.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,054 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,013 in Harrow.

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 60% less than in Harrow, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 6% below, Harrow is 132% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.61 MX$201

$20.72 £15.35

-43.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$742

$96.1 £71.2

-55.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 MX$184

$9.48 £7.02

11.81%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.3

$4.77 £3.54

-24.74%

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

$1.45 MX$25.21

$2.94 £2.18

-50.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.58

$2.17 £1.61

-58.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$52.6

$6.42 £4.76

-52.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 MX$79.2

$6.76 £5.01

-32.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.20

$1.58 £1.17

-8.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MX$31.72

$1.74 £1.29

5.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.92

$4.27 £3.16

-62.30%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$44.05

$6.25 £4.63

-59.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$148

$9.62 £7.13

-11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.47 MX$147

$9.28 £6.87

-8.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$189

$17.45 £12.93

-37.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$47.37

$3.49 £2.58

-21.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.91

$1.20 £0.89

24.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$33.73

$2.72 £2.02

-28.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.57

$5.34 £3.95

-59.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$32.05

$1.39 £1.03

33.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$38.00

$3.97 £2.94

-44.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.62

$1.19 £0.88

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.81

$1.29 £0.95

-16.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$70.5

$21.62 £16.02

-81.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 MX$182

$10.60 £7.85

-1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 MX$28.71

$2.03 £1.50

-18.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MX$44.23

$1.34 £0.99

90.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.65

$2.93 £2.17

-80.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$455

$87.1 £64.6

-69.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.5

$5.49 £4.06

-42.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 MX$41.17

$2.20 £1.63

7.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$56.2

$23.32 £17.28

-86.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.81

$2.00 £1.48

-34.50%

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

$30.5K MX$530.2K

$37.9K £28.1K

-19.37%

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

$23.8K MX$413.6K

$41.1K £30.5K

-42.10%

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

$83.1 MX$1,443

$186 £138

-55.24%

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

$22.15 MX$385

$15.18 £11.25

45.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MX$510

$43.35 £32.12

-32.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 MX$889

$53.4 £39.57

-4.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$324

$20.19 £14.96

-7.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MX$84.9

$16.86 £12.50

-71.00%

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

$199 MX$3,449

$1,186 £879

-83.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 MX$90.4K

$18.5K £13.7K

-71.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.93 MX$624

$88.9 £65.9

-59.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 MX$684

$68.8 £51.0

-42.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 MX$1,394

$109 £81.0

-26.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 MX$1,520

$202 £150

-56.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.7K

$2,492 £1,847

-61.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,370

$1,776 £1,316

-72.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 MX$28.6K

$3,752 £2,780

-56.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 MX$20.7K

$2,874 £2,129

-58.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.7K

$7,479 £5,542

-47.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$113.1K

$7,303 £5,411

-10.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.6K

$5,201 £3,854

-86.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

5.77

97.92%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Harrow: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $2,492 in Harrow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harrow pays 616% 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: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $96 in Harrow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $331 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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 Harrow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Harrow differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($1,262 vs $3,120 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Harrow earns 616% less. 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: $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,492 in Harrow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 232% less than in Harrow. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $199 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,186 in Harrow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,262 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,120 in Harrow, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Harrow. 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 Harrow 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 147% less than in Harrow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.