Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Preston and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,114 in Preston, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Preston
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Preston Living Index
58

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

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Preston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,114

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Preston and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,114 per month in Preston vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Preston $2,114
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,021 per month in Preston vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Preston $3,021
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,928 per month in Preston vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Preston $3,928
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Preston costs about 76% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Preston sits 55% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.89 £11.96

$10.92 MX$204

45.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 £55.9

$43.37 MX$808

71.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 £6.93

$11.78 MX$220

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$4.24 £3.19

$3.81 MX$71.0

11.29%

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

$2.31 £1.74

$1.28 MX$23.90

80.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.38

$0.78 MX$14.59

134.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 £4.06

$3.17 MX$59.0

70.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 £3.91

$4.93 MX$92.0

5.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.41 MX$26.22

5.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 £1.08

$2.22 MX$41.33

-35.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 £1.21

$1.42 MX$26.42

12.68%

Eggs

$3.59 £2.70

$2.52 MX$47.03

42.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.30 £3.99

$7.26 MX$135

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 £7.17

$7.70 MX$143

23.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.68 £9.54

$12.69 MX$237

-0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 £1.95

$2.78 MX$51.9

-6.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.37 MX$25.50

25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 £1.93

$2.55 MX$47.55

0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 £2.98

$2.12 MX$39.58

86.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 £1.55

$1.94 MX$36.13

6.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 £1.70

$1.89 MX$35.16

19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.15 MX$21.37

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.18 MX$21.98

39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.56 £16.23

$4.30 MX$80.1

401.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 £6.88

$9.95 MX$185

-8.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.39

$1.58 MX$29.52

101.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 £2.45

$2.67 MX$49.79

21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.95

$0.55 MX$10.31

612.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.5 £74.1

$26.62 MX$496

269.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 £1.96

$4.97 MX$92.6

-47.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 £1.58

$3.33 MX$62.1

-36.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.44 MX$26.92

38.19%

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

$37.9K £28.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

83.39%

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

$41.1K £31.0K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

75.31%

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

$439 £330

$84.8 MX$1,581

417.79%

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

$14.86 £11.19

$23.41 MX$436

-36.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.51 £32.75

$28.66 MX$534

51.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.40 £31.16

$57.1 MX$1,063

-27.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 £12.64

$28.91 MX$539

-41.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 £13.42

$5.14 MX$95.8

246.89%

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

$1,512 £1,138

$207 MX$3,851

632.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,738 £6,576

$3,927 MX$73.2K

122.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 £57.0

$43.35 MX$808

74.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.16 £19.69

$41.44 MX$772

-36.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 £49.21

$74.2 MX$1,383

-11.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.4 £49.97

$89.3 MX$1,664

-25.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 £729

$980 MX$18.3K

-1.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 £578

$381 MX$7,099

101.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 £1,210

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-5.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 £911

$1,075 MX$20.0K

12.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 £2,735

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-7.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 £1,790

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-61.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,994 £2,253

$735 MX$13.7K

307.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.93

11.45

-56.94%

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

Last update for Preston: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Preston

$767 36.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 50.4% $387

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Preston

$497 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 72.5% $361

Groceries & Markets

Preston

$281 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 9.2% $26

Eating Out

Preston

$260 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 22% $57

Getting Around

Preston

$127 6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 60.4% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Preston

$105 5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.2% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Preston

$77 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12.7% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $969 in Preston versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Preston are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Preston versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Preston

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

15:36 3:36 PM

5 h behind Preston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,300

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Preston Playa del Carmen 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Preston
Playa del Carmen

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

Preston vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Preston is pricier by about 76%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,172 per month in Preston and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $969 in Preston and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,114 in Preston and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 43% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Preston at $2,114. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Preston 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,114 in Preston. 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, Preston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.