Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Wick

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,492 in Wick, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Wick, United Kingdom
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Wick
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,492
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,492 in Wick, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Wick $2,492

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,441 in Wick, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Wick $3,441

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,390 in Wick, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Wick $4,390

Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper than Wick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Wick is 84% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Wick
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$20.33 £15.08
-47.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$67.8 £50.3
-35.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$10.81 £8.02
9.07%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.90 £2.89
-2.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$2.04 £1.51
-36.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$2.19 £1.62
-62.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$7.10 £5.26
-55.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$7.69 £5.70
-35.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Wick
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.50 £1.11
-6.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.73 £1.28
27.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$2.03 £1.51
-27.59%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$4.45 £3.30
-43.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$8.60 £6.38
-15.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$12.23 £9.07
-35.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$16.74 £12.42
-23.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$2.43 £1.80
19.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.36 £1.01
1.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$2.73 £2.03
-8.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$3.80 £2.82
-46.58%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$1.63 £1.21
23.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$0.83 £0.62
128.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.21 £0.90
-5.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$1.62 £1.20
-23.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$22.09 £16.38
-80.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$11.18 £8.29
-12.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$2.71 £2.01
-41.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$3.02 £2.24
-8.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Wick
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$4.04 £2.99
-87.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$105 £77.8
-73.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$4.10 £3.04
16.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$2.36 £1.75
37.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$24.07 £17.85
-77.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.89 £1.40
-19.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$39.1K £29.0K
-45.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$40.1K £29.8K
-42.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Wick
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$407 £302
-79.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$27.75 £20.58
-16.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$42.96 £31.86
-35.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Wick
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$40.20 £29.81
40.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$11.67 £8.65
-57.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Wick
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$1,851 £1,373
-88.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$23.6K £17.5K
-77.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Wick
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$96.1 £71.3
-54.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$48.59 £36.03
-12.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$106 £78.4
-31.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$113 £84.1
-22.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Wick
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$1,295 £960
-23.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$1,022 £758
-62.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$2,306 £1,710
-27.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$1,413 £1,048
-23.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$5,026 £3,727
-22.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$3,390 £2,514
81.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Wick
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5.11
124.07%

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 Wick: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Wick
$1K 167% $640
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Wick
$318 23.6% $61
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Wick
$310 54.6% $109
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Wick
$478 256% $344
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Wick
$164 47.2% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Wick
$64 4.4% $2.9
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Wick
$137 171% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,295 in Wick. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $68 in Wick. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $318 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇬🇧 Wick
🕒 Local time
10:08 10:08 AM
15:08 3:08 PM
5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
6,900
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.831 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Wick 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Wick

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 Wick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Wick?
Yes – Wick is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,738 in Wick. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,295 in Wick.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Wick?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,492 in Wick. That makes Playa del Carmen about 52% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 74% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Wick?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Wick at $2,492. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wick it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Wick more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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