Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Slough and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,900 in Slough, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Slough, United Kingdom
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Slough
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,900
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,900 per month in Slough vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Slough $2,900
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,194 per month in Slough vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Slough $4,194
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,488 per month in Slough vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Slough $5,488
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Slough costs about 141% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Slough sits 113% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Slough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.10 £17.99
$10.92 MX$205
120.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.2 £60.6
$43.37 MX$814
87.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.25 £7.65
$11.78 MX$221
-12.99%
Cappuccino
$4.98 £3.72
$3.81 MX$71.5
30.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 £2.15
$1.28 MX$24.07
125.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 £1.58
$0.78 MX$14.70
170.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.48 £4.83
$3.17 MX$59.5
104.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.47 £4.83
$4.93 MX$92.7
31.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Slough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 £1.38
$1.41 MX$26.40
30.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.48 £1.11
$2.22 MX$41.62
-33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.95 £2.20
$1.42 MX$26.61
107.75%
Eggs
$3.61 £2.70
$2.52 MX$47.36
43.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 £8.29
$7.26 MX$136
52.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.61 £6.43
$7.70 MX$144
11.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.52 £9.35
$12.69 MX$238
-1.34%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 £2.28
$2.78 MX$52.3
9.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 £1.15
$1.37 MX$25.68
12.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.97 £2.22
$2.55 MX$47.89
16.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.22 £2.41
$2.12 MX$39.86
51.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.63 £1.97
$1.94 MX$36.39
35.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 £0.97
$1.89 MX$35.41
-31.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 £0.81
$1.15 MX$21.53
-6.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 £1.09
$1.18 MX$22.13
23.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.74 £17.73
$4.30 MX$80.6
452.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.39 £10.00
$9.95 MX$187
34.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 £1.69
$1.58 MX$29.73
43.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 £2.04
$2.67 MX$50.1
2.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Slough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.90 £2.91
$0.55 MX$10.39
609.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$239 £178
$26.62 MX$500
796.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.77 £5.06
$4.97 MX$93.3
36.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.57 £3.41
$3.33 MX$62.5
37.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.51 £29.50
$5.36 MX$101
637.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 £1.52
$1.44 MX$27.11
40.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K £29.1K
$20.7K MX$388.0K
88.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K £29.9K
$23.5K MX$440.5K
70.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Slough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$311 £232
$84.8 MX$1,592
267.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.97 £15.66
$23.41 MX$439
-10.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.07 £33.65
$28.66 MX$538
57.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Slough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.57 £31.04
$57.1 MX$1,071
-27.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.45 £6.31
$28.91 MX$543
-70.77%
Cinema Ticket
$13.09 £9.77
$5.14 MX$96.5
154.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Slough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,750 £1,307
$207 MX$3,878
747.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.1K £18.0K
$3,927 MX$73.7K
514.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Slough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.4 £51.8
$43.35 MX$814
60.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.0 £50.8
$41.44 MX$778
64.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 £84.9
$74.2 MX$1,393
53.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 £81.3
$89.3 MX$1,676
22.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Slough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 £1,266
$980 MX$18.4K
73.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,358 £1,014
$381 MX$7,150
256.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,903 £2,168
$1,708 MX$32.1K
69.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,204 £1,646
$1,075 MX$20.2K
104.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.8K £13.3K
$3,943 MX$74.0K
350.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$13.0K £9,742
$6,158 MX$115.6K
111.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Slough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,377 £2,521
$735 MX$13.8K
359.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.45
-56.33%

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

Last update for Slough: October 25, 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
Slough
$1.4K
Playa del Carmen
$381 72% $977
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Slough
$377
Playa del Carmen
$137 63.7% $240
Eating Out
Slough
$349
Playa del Carmen
$202 41.9% $146
Groceries & Markets
Slough
$302
Playa del Carmen
$255 15.6% $47
Getting Around
Slough
$284
Playa del Carmen
$50 82.2% $234
Clothing & Footwear
Slough
$162
Playa del Carmen
$112 31% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Slough
$68
Playa del Carmen
$67 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Slough 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 Slough are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Slough versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Slough
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
09:40 9:40 AM
04:40 4:40 AM
5 h behind Slough
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
164,455
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Slough Playa del Carmen 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Slough
  • 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
Slough vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Slough?
Yes – Slough is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,349 per month in Slough 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,695 in Slough.
What are total monthly expenses in Slough and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,900 in Slough and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 89% 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 Slough 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 Slough at $2,900. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Slough it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Slough 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Slough makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Slough vs other spots: cost of living compared

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