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 11.7% cheaper than Thames without rent, and 33.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 28.3% cheaper than Thames without rent, and 23.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$15.13 NZ$25.72
-23.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$79.3 NZ$135
-46.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$9.56 NZ$16.25
10.88%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$3.40 NZ$5.77
5.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$2.37 NZ$4.03
-38.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$2.20 NZ$3.74
-59.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$7.20 NZ$12.25
-57.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$7.45 NZ$12.67
-38.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.80 NZ$3.06
-19.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$2.10 NZ$3.58
-12.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.94 NZ$3.30
-17.01%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$6.73 NZ$11.45
-62.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$8.94 NZ$15.19
-4.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$9.80 NZ$16.66
-13.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$12.79 NZ$21.75
-15.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.81 NZ$4.78
-2.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$2.21 NZ$3.76
-32.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$3.28 NZ$5.57
-40.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$4.09 NZ$6.95
-47.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$2.06 NZ$3.50
-10.19%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.72 NZ$2.92
27.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.96 NZ$3.32
-45.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.28 NZ$2.17
-15.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$25.44 NZ$43.25
-84.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$10.43 NZ$17.74
0.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$3.04 NZ$5.17
-45.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$3.96 NZ$6.73
-35.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$2.14 NZ$3.63
-73.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$64.9 NZ$110
-59.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$2.06 NZ$3.50
52.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$1.99 NZ$3.38
19.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$34.67 NZ$59.0
-90.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.62 NZ$2.75
-19.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$28.6K NZ$48.6K
6.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$22.2K NZ$37.7K
7.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$142 NZ$242
-41.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$30.66 NZ$52.1
-27.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$48.31 NZ$82.1
-39.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$36.37 NZ$61.8
40.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$11.83 NZ$20.11
57.99%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$15.19 NZ$25.83
-67.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$911 NZ$1,549
-78.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$13.5K NZ$22.9K
-61.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$70.3 NZ$119
-48.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$50.3 NZ$85.5
-21.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$100 NZ$170
-19.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$125 NZ$213
-30.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$979 NZ$1,664
-1.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$784 NZ$1,333
-38.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$1,583 NZ$2,691
3.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$1,414 NZ$2,404
-15.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$4,654 NZ$7,912
-14.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$3,038 NZ$5,165
114.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Thames
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
-
-
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Thames: April 12, 2026

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

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