Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Retford and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,255 in Retford, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Retford
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Retford Living Index
59

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

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Retford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,255 per month in Retford vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Retford $2,255
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,343 per month in Retford vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Retford $3,343
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,432 per month in Retford vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Retford $4,432
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Retford costs about 87% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Retford sits 66% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.72 £11.04

$10.86 MX$201

35.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 £49.87

$44.21 MX$817

50.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 £5.36

$11.76 MX$217

-39.29%

Cappuccino

$3.88 £2.91

$3.68 MX$68.0

5.43%

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

$1.75 £1.31

$1.34 MX$24.79

30.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 £1.33

$0.82 MX$15.24

117.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.30 £3.22

$3.06 MX$56.6

40.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 £3.26

$4.94 MX$91.2

-12.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.47 MX$27.17

17.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 £1.38

$2.22 MX$40.95

-17.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.48 MX$27.32

10.81%

Eggs

$4.66 £3.50

$2.49 MX$45.99

87.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 £8.39

$7.52 MX$139

48.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 £7.62

$7.96 MX$147

27.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.50 £9.38

$12.57 MX$232

-0.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.78 MX$51.3

-24.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.43 MX$26.37

25.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 £1.32

$2.62 MX$48.37

-32.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.14 MX$39.49

-18.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 £1.11

$2.02 MX$37.38

-26.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.99 MX$36.74

-20.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 £0.31

$1.14 MX$21.01

-63.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.20 MX$22.18

30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.33 £17.50

$4.26 MX$78.7

447.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 £5.83

$10.02 MX$185

-22.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.54 MX$28.41

10.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.66 MX$49.17

-23.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.65 £2.74

$0.53 MX$9.73

588.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.7

$27.51 MX$508

291.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 £3.70

$4.90 MX$90.6

0.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.91 £2.93

$3.43 MX$63.5

13.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.85 £21.64

$5.38 MX$99.4

436.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.45 MX$26.76

44.14%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

89.72%

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

$44.2K £33.2K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

92.05%

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

$342 £257

$85.4 MX$1,577

300.60%

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

$27.87 £20.91

$23.46 MX$434

18.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.53 £34.91

$28.43 MX$525

63.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 £39.53

$62.2 MX$1,149

-15.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$11.50 £8.62

$5.10 MX$94.3

125.49%

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

$1,926 £1,445

$201 MX$3,715

857.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K £17.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

504.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 £63.9

$44.39 MX$820

91.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.8 £45.59

$41.35 MX$764

46.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.4

$72.7 MX$1,344

49.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 £121

$89.6 MX$1,656

79.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 £1,049

$979 MX$18.1K

42.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 £693

$373 MX$6,887

147.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 £1,575

$1,681 MX$31.1K

24.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 £1,257

$1,095 MX$20.2K

52.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 £3,796

$3,949 MX$73.0K

28.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,851 £2,889

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-37.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 £1,283

$738 MX$13.6K

131.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

11.45

-53.71%

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

Last update for Retford: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Retford

$924 41%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 59.7% $551

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Retford

$416 18.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 67% $279

Groceries & Markets

Retford

$276 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 6.3% $17

Eating Out

Retford

$230 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 13% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Retford

$187 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 40.3% $75

Getting Around

Retford

$147 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 64.8% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Retford

$76 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 4.3% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,398 in Retford versus $979 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 run about 132% higher in Retford, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Retford versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Retford

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

6 h behind Retford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,023

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 24, 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Retford Playa del Carmen 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Retford
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

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

Yes – Retford is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,383 per month in Retford and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,255 in Retford and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 87%.

Public transport costs about 291% 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 Retford at $2,255. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Retford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Retford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.