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

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 25.2% cheaper than Thames without rent, and 33.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 27.2% cheaper than Thames without rent, and 23% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$14.78 NZ$24.83
-19.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$79.0 NZ$133
-46.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$9.46 NZ$15.89
13.64%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$3.53 NZ$5.93
-1.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$2.28 NZ$3.82
-36.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$2.22 NZ$3.73
-59.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$7.11 NZ$11.95
-57.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$7.29 NZ$12.24
-39.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.81 NZ$3.03
-24.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$2.10 NZ$3.53
-10.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$1.94 NZ$3.26
-20.62%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$6.87 NZ$11.55
-63.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$8.55 NZ$14.36
0.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$9.56 NZ$16.06
-9.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$13.18 NZ$22.13
-16.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$2.81 NZ$4.73
-2.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$2.30 NZ$3.87
-37.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$3.20 NZ$5.38
-41.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$4.15 NZ$6.97
-47.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$2.08 NZ$3.49
-9.62%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$1.64 NZ$2.75
37.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$1.91 NZ$3.21
-43.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$1.25 NZ$2.09
-14.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$25.76 NZ$43.29
-83.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$10.72 NZ$18.02
-3.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$2.91 NZ$4.89
-42.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$3.83 NZ$6.43
-35.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
$2.05 NZ$3.45
-73.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
$63.9 NZ$107
-58.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
$2.07 NZ$3.48
55.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
$1.95 NZ$3.27
27.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
$35.57 NZ$59.8
-91.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$1.65 NZ$2.77
-23.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$28.2K NZ$47.3K
8.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$22.1K NZ$37.2K
8.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$145 NZ$244
-43.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$30.72 NZ$51.6
-27.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$48.06 NZ$80.7
-37.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
$36.62 NZ$61.5
40.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
$12.03 NZ$20.22
52.04%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$15.19 NZ$25.52
-67.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$892 NZ$1,499
-77.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$13.7K NZ$23.0K
-61.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$69.7 NZ$117
-48.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$50.4 NZ$84.6
-21.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$97.1 NZ$163
-17.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$126 NZ$212
-29.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
$970 NZ$1,630
-0.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
$786 NZ$1,321
-38.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$1,549 NZ$2,603
2.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$1,434 NZ$2,409
-17.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
$4,747 NZ$7,975
-14.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
$3,656 NZ$6,142
78.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.37
79.28%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Thames: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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