Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kempton Park Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kempton Park

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,305 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,251 in Kempton Park.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,334 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,914 in Kempton Park.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,362 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,577 in Kempton Park.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 4% more expensive than in Kempton Park, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Kempton Park 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 MX$203

$9.14 R 147

30.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.38 MX$804

$38.59 R 621

22.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.75 MX$199

$6.28 R 101

87.10%

Cappuccino

$4.12 MX$70.0

$2.56 R 41.27

60.94%

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

$1.40 MX$23.74

$1.09 R 17.53

28.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$15.48

$0.87 R 13.99

4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$54.4

$2.51 R 40.44

27.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 MX$120

$2.78 R 44.81

154.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$28.44

$1.40 R 22.48

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 MX$36.48

$1.17 R 18.78

83.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 MX$30.10

$1.89 R 30.50

-6.35%

Eggs

$2.82 MX$47.76

$2.54 R 40.90

11.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 MX$156

$8.61 R 139

6.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 MX$157

$5.30 R 85.3

74.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 MX$214

$9.22 R 148

37.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MX$50.1

$2.02 R 32.48

46.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$26.79

$1.74 R 27.98

-9.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MX$37.70

$1.89 R 30.47

17.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$40.09

$2.04 R 32.87

15.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$33.81

$1.83 R 29.44

8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 MX$33.58

$1.73 R 27.92

14.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 MX$21.04

$1.20 R 19.39

3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$20.55

$1.38 R 22.29

-12.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.60 MX$78.1

$3.41 R 54.9

34.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.52 MX$178

$5.61 R 90.4

87.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$28.70

$1.76 R 28.27

-3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 MX$47.06

$2.45 R 39.45

13.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.22

$1.60 R 25.70

-62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 MX$504

$63.0 R 1,014

-52.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.24 MX$88.8

$0.32 R 5.17

1537.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.65 MX$61.9

$0.83 R 13.38

339.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 MX$98.1

$15.13 R 244

-61.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$26.09

$1.56 R 25.11

-1.28%

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

$22.8K MX$386.8K

$36.9K R 594.5K

-38.23%

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

$25.8K MX$437.9K

$32.8K R 527.8K

-21.24%

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

$90.7 MX$1,538

$187 R 3,007

-51.44%

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

$25.19 MX$427

$38.63 R 622

-34.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.75 MX$539

$38.36 R 618

-17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 MX$1,167

$39.01 R 628

76.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.37 MX$498

$12.40 R 200

136.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MX$82.5

$8.20 R 132

-40.73%

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

$226 MX$3,828

$274 R 4,417

-17.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,194 MX$71.1K

$5,641 R 90.8K

-25.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.38 MX$804

$54.7 R 882

-13.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.45 MX$737

$33.31 R 536

30.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 MX$1,361

$94.0 R 1,514

-14.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,550

$85.4 R 1,376

6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MX$18.4K

$313 R 5,038

247.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 MX$6,933

$368 R 5,922

11.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 MX$33.5K

$757 R 12.2K

160.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 MX$21.7K

$787 R 12.7K

62.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,046 MX$68.6K

$915 R 14.7K

341.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,704 MX$113.7K

$647 R 10.4K

936.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 MX$13.1K

$654 R 10.5K

18.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.25

1.78%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 7, 2026

Last update for Kempton Park: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,086 in Playa del Carmen and $313 in Kempton Park. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 18% 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: $47.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $39.00 in Kempton Park for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $217 per month, with Kempton Park 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 Kempton Park: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kempton Park wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kempton Park the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,086 in Playa del Carmen versus $313 in Kempton Park. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kempton Park – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $47.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,251 in Kempton Park versus $1,305 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kempton Park but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kempton Park the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kempton Park delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,251 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kempton Park hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Kempton Park 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 Kempton Park gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.