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: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $917 in Margate.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,412 in Margate.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,907 in Margate.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 40% more expensive than Margate, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 4% lower, Margate 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$209

$7.05 R 118

69.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$748

$28.46 R 477

50.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$185

$3.40 R 57.0

211.47%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.4

$1.23 R 20.55

194.31%

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

$1.47 MX$25.69

$0.67 R 11.27

119.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.51

$0.37 R 6.25

154.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$54.1

$2.01 R 33.69

53.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$78.0

$1.36 R 22.86

227.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$0.81 R 13.59

76.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.97

$0.80 R 13.42

135.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.50

$1.20 R 20.21

35.83%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$46.26

$2.20 R 36.92

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$144

$4.86 R 81.6

68.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$145

$2.47 R 41.49

235.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$194

$3.50 R 58.8

217.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.40

$1.37 R 22.92

93.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.26

$1.40 R 23.55

7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.79

$1.23 R 20.62

61.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.33

$1.29 R 21.68

61.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.29

$0.99 R 16.62

80.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.09

$1.19 R 19.95

83.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.84

$0.97 R 16.33

11.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.15

$0.95 R 15.97

9.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.5

$1.44 R 24.23

175.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$179

$3.60 R 60.3

183.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.22

$0.93 R 15.59

86.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.71

$1.37 R 22.97

82.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.07

$1.07 R 17.89

-51.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$472

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$55.0

$0.71 R 11.94

342.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$42.04

$0.58 R 9.64

313.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$54.0

$4.39 R 73.6

-29.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.28

$1.34 R 22.40

-5.22%

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

$30.9K MX$540.4K

$20.1K R 336.6K

53.87%

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

$23.3K MX$408.0K

$24.5K R 411.3K

-4.94%

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

$82.0 MX$1,435

$146 R 2,452

-43.92%

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

$22.45 MX$393

$29.77 R 499

-24.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$519

$33.93 R 569

-12.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$908

$31.19 R 523

66.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$327

$3.44 R 57.7

442.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$87.0

$3.68 R 61.8

35.05%

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

$198 MX$3,462

$206 R 3,453

-3.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$92.3K

$4,675 R 78.4K

12.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$636

$41.44 R 695

-12.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$701

$30.51 R 512

31.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,398

$95.6 R 1,603

-16.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,555

$71.6 R 1,201

24.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.9K

$369 R 6,182

161.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,133

$335 R 5,625

38.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.9K

$694 R 11.6K

129.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.2K

$684 R 11.5K

76.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

$534 R 8,962

637.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

$555 R 9,310

1061.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.6K

$1,517 R 25.4K

-52.50%

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: April 25, 2026

Last update for Margate: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $369 in Margate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 111% 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 $251 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 40% 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 111% 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 $369 in Margate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $198 in Playa del Carmen versus $206 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 $917 in Margate versus $1,287 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 $917 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 40% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.