Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rugby and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,347 in Rugby, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rugby
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,347
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Rugby vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Rugby $2,347
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,506 per month in Rugby vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Rugby $3,506
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,665 per month in Rugby vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Rugby $4,665
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Rugby costs about 95% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rugby sits 73% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rugby
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.62 £14.72
$10.86 MX$201
80.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.2 £59.4
$44.21 MX$817
79.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.53 £7.15
$11.76 MX$217
-18.96%
Cappuccino
$4.91 £3.68
$3.68 MX$68.0
33.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 £1.59
$1.34 MX$24.79
58.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 £1.13
$0.82 MX$15.24
82.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.05 £4.54
$3.06 MX$56.6
97.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.58 £4.94
$4.94 MX$91.2
33.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rugby
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 £1.28
$1.47 MX$27.17
15.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.75 £1.32
$2.22 MX$40.95
-21.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.55 £1.91
$1.48 MX$27.32
72.30%
Eggs
$3.77 £2.83
$2.49 MX$45.99
51.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.32 £6.99
$7.52 MX$139
23.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.79 £5.85
$7.96 MX$147
-2.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.11 £11.34
$12.57 MX$232
20.21%
Apples (1kg)
$2.59 £1.95
$2.78 MX$51.3
-6.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 £1.31
$1.43 MX$26.37
22.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.41 £1.81
$2.62 MX$48.37
-8.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.17 £2.37
$2.14 MX$39.49
48.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 £1.25
$2.02 MX$37.38
-17.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 £1.31
$1.99 MX$36.74
-12.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 £0.93
$1.14 MX$21.01
8.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.20 MX$22.18
31.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$21.66 £16.25
$4.26 MX$78.7
408.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.81 £8.86
$10.02 MX$185
17.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.59 £2.70
$1.54 MX$28.41
133.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 £2.53
$2.66 MX$49.17
27.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Rugby
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.64 £1.98
$0.53 MX$9.73
398.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 £79.7
$27.51 MX$508
286.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.69 £3.52
$4.90 MX$90.6
-4.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 £1.21
$3.43 MX$63.5
-52.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.42 £18.32
$5.38 MX$99.4
353.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 £1.56
$1.45 MX$26.76
44.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.2K £29.4K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
85.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
77.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rugby
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$265 £199
$85.4 MX$1,577
210.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.84 £14.88
$23.46 MX$434
-15.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.42 £34.83
$28.43 MX$525
63.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rugby
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.0 £42.79
$62.2 MX$1,149
-8.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.68 MX$530
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.91 £11.18
$5.10 MX$94.3
192.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rugby
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,600 £1,200
$201 MX$3,715
695.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K £16.9K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
470.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rugby
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 £81.4
$44.39 MX$820
144.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.56 £23.68
$41.35 MX$764
-23.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.0 £62.2
$72.7 MX$1,344
14.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 £84.8
$89.6 MX$1,656
26.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rugby
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,107 £831
$979 MX$18.1K
13.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,044 £783
$373 MX$6,887
180.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,797 £1,348
$1,681 MX$31.1K
6.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,844 £1,383
$1,095 MX$20.2K
68.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,965 £3,725
$3,949 MX$73.0K
25.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,847 £2,886
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-37.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rugby
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,705 £3,529
$738 MX$13.6K
537.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.09
11.45
-55.55%

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

Last update for Rugby: October 19, 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
Rugby
$1K
Playa del Carmen
$373 64.3% $671
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rugby
$332
Playa del Carmen
$137 58.6% $194
Eating Out
Rugby
$302
Playa del Carmen
$200 33.8% $102
Groceries & Markets
Rugby
$302
Playa del Carmen
$258 14.4% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Rugby
$151
Playa del Carmen
$112 26.2% $40
Getting Around
Rugby
$130
Playa del Carmen
$52 60.1% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Rugby
$87
Playa del Carmen
$72 16.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,107 in Rugby 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 538% higher in Rugby, 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 $79.0 in Rugby versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Rugby
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
11:52 11:52 AM
05:52 5:52 AM
6 h behind Rugby
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
70,628
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 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
  • Rugby Playa del Carmen 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rugby
  • 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
Rugby vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Rugby?
Yes – Rugby is pricier by about 95%, 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 $3,521 per month in Rugby and $1,806 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 Rugby and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,347 in Rugby and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 95%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 286% 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 Rugby or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Rugby at $2,347. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rugby it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Rugby 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, Rugby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Rugby vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?