Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and the Isle of Islay

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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 on the Isle of Islay
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Isle of Islay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and on the Isle of Islay

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 on the Isle of Islay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Isle of Islay $2,352

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,353 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Isle of Islay $3,353

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,354 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Isle of Islay $4,354

Playa del Carmen is about 49% cheaper than the Isle of Islay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Isle of Islay is 74% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$21.60 £16.21

-49.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$81.4 £61.1

-45.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.60 £7.95

10.94%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.48 £3.36

-17.86%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.48 £1.86

-45.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.32 £0.99

-37.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$5.83 £4.37

-47.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$6.01 £4.51

-17.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.03 £1.52

-27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.75 £1.32

26.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.74 £2.06

-45.99%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$5.41 £4.06

-53.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$7.39 £5.54

1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.52 £7.14

-16.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$15.36 £11.53

-18.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.50 £1.88

11.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.20 £1.65

-35.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.82 £2.12

-7.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.87 £2.15

-25.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$3.06 £2.29

-33.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.11 £1.58

-5.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.86 £1.40

-38.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.43 £1.82

-50.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$23.79 £17.85

-82.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$12.03 £9.03

-16.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$3.26 £2.44

-52.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.22 £2.41

-17.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$3.50 £2.62

-84.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$98.1 £73.6

-71.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$4.75 £3.56

3.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$3.79 £2.84

-9.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$26.58 £19.94

-79.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$2.07 £1.55

-29.95%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$38.5K £28.9K

-45.09%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$40.4K £30.3K

-43.06%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$238 £178

-64.09%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$13.09 £9.82

79.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$42.21 £31.67

-32.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$43.82 £32.88

41.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$13.44 £10.08

-62.05%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$1,918 £1,439

-89.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$24.8K £18.6K

-84.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$100 £75.1

-55.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$57.6 £43.19

-28.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$121 £90.9

-39.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$87.1 £65.4

2.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,272 £955

-23.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,039 £779

-64.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,126 £1,595

-20.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,449 £1,087

-24.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$5,528 £4,147

-28.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$3,409 £2,558

80.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.41

111.65%

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 the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2% 179% $666

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2% 29.4% $76

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4% 57.2% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5% 114% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Isle of Islay

$165 7% 47.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Isle of Islay

$71 3% 2.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8% 163% $84

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $334 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,457

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Isle of Islay 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Isle of Islay

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 Isle of Islay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Isle of Islay is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,528 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $2,352 on the Isle of Islay. That's a gap of about 95%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, Isle of Islay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.