Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Redcar and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,400 in Redcar, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Redcar
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,400
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Redcar 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 Redcar and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,400 per month in Redcar vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Redcar $2,400
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,441 per month in Redcar vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Redcar $3,441
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,482 per month in Redcar vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Redcar $4,482
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Redcar costs about 98% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Redcar sits 78% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Redcar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.49 £16.12
$10.76 MX$199
99.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.5 £52.9
$43.03 MX$795
63.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.70 £8.78
$11.79 MX$218
-0.76%
Cappuccino
$3.55 £2.66
$3.87 MX$71.4
-8.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 £1.78
$1.37 MX$25.29
72.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 £1.46
$0.84 MX$15.44
130.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.67 £3.50
$3.10 MX$57.3
50.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.20 £3.15
$5.07 MX$93.6
-17.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Redcar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 £0.92
$1.44 MX$26.55
-14.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.29 £0.97
$2.23 MX$41.23
-42.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.58 £2.68
$1.47 MX$27.17
143.54%
Eggs
$3.71 £2.78
$2.53 MX$46.71
46.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.69 £5.77
$7.30 MX$135
5.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.96 £5.22
$7.86 MX$145
-11.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.50 £5.63
$12.79 MX$236
-41.36%
Apples (1kg)
$3.29 £2.47
$2.90 MX$53.6
13.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.81 £2.11
$1.44 MX$26.53
95.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.50 £2.62
$2.55 MX$47.07
37.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.71 £2.78
$2.06 MX$38.03
80.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 £1.29
$2.00 MX$36.97
-14.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.72 £1.29
$2.01 MX$37.07
-14.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 £0.90
$1.19 MX$22.02
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 £1.49
$1.26 MX$23.23
57.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.26 £13.70
$4.40 MX$81.4
315.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.29 £6.97
$9.59 MX$177
-3.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.75 £3.56
$1.59 MX$29.41
198.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 £2.74
$2.81 MX$51.9
29.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Redcar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.41 £2.56
$0.57 MX$10.47
498.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.9 £71.2
$27.82 MX$514
241.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.24 £3.18
$4.98 MX$92.1
-14.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.08 £1.56
$3.50 MX$64.6
-40.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.47 £25.11
$5.40 MX$99.8
519.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 £1.50
$1.47 MX$27.08
36.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
81.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.4K £29.5K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
64.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Redcar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$351 £263
$84.2 MX$1,556
316.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.75 £19.32
$23.99 MX$443
7.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.24 £33.94
$29.02 MX$536
55.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Redcar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.25 £33.95
$63.0 MX$1,164
-28.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.44 £13.09
$4.94 MX$91.3
253.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Redcar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$793 £595
$204 MX$3,763
289.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.9K £16.4K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
456.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Redcar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$109 £81.8
$43.60 MX$806
150.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 £41.85
$43.12 MX$797
29.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 £83.5
$75.8 MX$1,400
46.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 £85.0
$88.6 MX$1,637
27.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Redcar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,235 £926
$1,008 MX$18.6K
22.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,013 £760
$374 MX$6,911
170.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,108 £1,581
$1,708 MX$31.6K
23.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,628 £1,221
$1,106 MX$20.4K
47.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,991 £3,745
$3,944 MX$72.9K
26.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,911 £2,934
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-36.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Redcar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$754 MX$13.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.53
11.45
-51.70%

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

Last update for Redcar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Redcar
$1K
Playa del Carmen
$374 63.1% $639
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Redcar
$422
Playa del Carmen
$137 67.5% $285
Eating Out
Redcar
$299
Playa del Carmen
$202 32.3% $96
Groceries & Markets
Redcar
$287
Playa del Carmen
$258 10.1% $29
Clothing & Footwear
Redcar
$175
Playa del Carmen
$113 35.5% $62
Getting Around
Redcar
$123
Playa del Carmen
$53 57.3% $71
Sport & Entertainment
Redcar
$80
Playa del Carmen
$73 9.1% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,235 in Redcar versus $1,008 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Redcar versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Redcar
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
20:48 8:48 PM
14:48 2:48 PM
6 h behind Redcar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Redcar Playa del Carmen 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Redcar
  • 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
Redcar vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Redcar?
Yes – Redcar is pricier by about 98%, 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 $3,600 per month in Redcar and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Redcar and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,400 in Redcar and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 98%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 241% 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 Redcar or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Redcar at $2,400. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Redcar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Redcar or Playa del Carmen 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 the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Redcar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Redcar vs other spots: cost of living compared

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