Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Stanley

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,960 in Stanley, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Stanley

🇫🇰 Falkland Islands

$2,960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Stanley

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 in Stanley actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,960 in Stanley, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Stanley $2,960

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,478 in Stanley, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Stanley $4,478

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,996 in Stanley, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Stanley $5,996

Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper than Stanley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Stanley is 119% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$26.42 FKP 19.63

-59.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$79.4 FKP 59.0

-44.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$4.37 FKP 3.24

-13.27%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.24 FKP 1.66

-41.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.43 FKP 1.06

-41.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$4.26 FKP 3.17

-26.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.58 FKP 1.92

91.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.21 FKP 1.64

-36.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.13 FKP 2.33

-29.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.91 FKP 0.68

61.54%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$7.10 FKP 5.27

-64.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$3.04 FKP 2.26

139.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$9.91 FKP 7.36

-19.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$12.03 FKP 8.94

6.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$9.34 FKP 6.94

-68.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$5.40 FKP 4.01

-74.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$10.64 FKP 7.91

-76.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$8.37 FKP 6.22

-75.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$3.24 FKP 2.41

-37.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.72 FKP 0.53

163.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$4.29 FKP 3.19

-73.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$16.37 FKP 12.16

-73.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$12.00 FKP 8.91

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.48 FKP 1.84

10.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$6.55 FKP 4.87

-27.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.94 FKP 1.44

-21.13%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$392 FKP 291

-78.70%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$76.7 FKP 57.0

-69.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$453 FKP 337

-93.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$22.12 FKP 16.44

155.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$12.39 FKP 9.21

-59.64%

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

$207 MX$3,854

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$112 FKP 83.2

-61.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$93.4 FKP 69.4

-54.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$160 FKP 118

-54.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$106 FKP 78.6

-16.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,464 FKP 1,087

-32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,067 FKP 792

-64.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,663 FKP 1,978

-37.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,406 FKP 1,787

-55.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$3,966 FKP 2,946

-79.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.75

47.74%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Stanley: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Stanley

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Stanley

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Stanley

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Stanley

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Stanley

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Stanley

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Stanley

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,464 in Stanley. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Stanley are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $79 in Stanley. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $401 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇫🇰 Stanley

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Falkland Islands Pound FKP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 FKP = 1.35 USD

1 FKP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FKP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Falkland Islands Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 FKP (1 FKP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.833 FKP (1 FKP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Stanley 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Stanley

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 Stanley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stanley is pricier by about 146%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,439 in Stanley. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,464 in Stanley.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Stanley, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $79 in Stanley. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Stanley at $2,960. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stanley it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $2,960 in Stanley. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stanley makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.