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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $922 in Margate.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,426 in Margate.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,929 in Margate.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 38% more expensive than Margate, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Margate 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$6.80 R 110

74.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$28.47 R 460

50.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$3.48 R 56.2

206.03%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$1.16 R 18.83

197.41%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$0.68 R 10.96

120.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$0.40 R 6.53

137.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$1.99 R 32.19

52.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$1.43 R 23.11

222.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$0.86 R 13.85

60.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$0.78 R 12.64

137.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$1.19 R 19.32

35.29%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$2.17 R 35.01

19.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$4.83 R 78.1

71.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$2.49 R 40.23

236.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$3.45 R 55.8

208.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$1.42 R 23.02

85.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$1.43 R 23.12

4.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$1.23 R 19.95

56.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$1.35 R 21.78

54.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$0.93 R 15.06

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$1.23 R 19.90

83.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$0.98 R 15.87

8.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$0.91 R 14.65

19.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$1.52 R 24.60

173.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$3.50 R 56.6

196.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$0.87 R 14.05

97.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$1.42 R 22.99

83.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$1.06 R 17.19

-49.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$0.76 R 12.29

311.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$0.63 R 10.14

298.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$4.53 R 73.2

-30.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$1.27 R 20.48

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$20.5K R 331.3K

48.21%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$24.5K R 396.8K

-3.99%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$146 R 2,367

-43.30%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$28.81 R 466

-21.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$33.61 R 543

-12.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$31.47 R 509

62.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

$3.30 R 53.4

455.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$3.74 R 60.4

31.82%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$204 R 3,297

-3.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$4,621 R 74.7K

14.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$41.32 R 668

-10.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$30.21 R 488

32.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$95.9 R 1,551

-16.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$73.7 R 1,191

21.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$360 R 5,814

165.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$335 R 5,413

42.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$693 R 11.2K

137.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$678 R 11.0K

80.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

$900 R 14.6K

335.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

$695 R 11.2K

830.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

$1,507 R 24.4K

-55.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

12.01

-4.91%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Last update for Margate: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $360 in Margate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 126% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $28.00 in Margate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $129 per month, with Margate 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 Margate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Margate wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Margate the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Margate earns 126% 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: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $360 in Margate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $204 in Margate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Margate – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $922 in Margate versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Margate but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Margate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Margate delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $922 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Margate hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Margate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.