Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,655 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index
58

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

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Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,655

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,655 per month in Southampton vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Southampton $2,655
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,818 per month in Southampton vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Southampton $3,818
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,981 per month in Southampton vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Southampton $4,981
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Southampton costs about 120% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Southampton sits 95% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.76 £19.95

$10.92 MX$205

145.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 £66.8

$43.37 MX$813

106.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 £8.29

$11.78 MX$221

-5.60%

Cappuccino

$5.43 £4.05

$3.81 MX$71.4

42.52%

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

$2.98 £2.22

$1.28 MX$24.03

132.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.67

$0.78 MX$14.67

187.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.46 £5.56

$3.17 MX$59.3

135.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 £5.03

$4.93 MX$92.5

36.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.41 MX$26.35

41.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$2.22 MX$41.54

-22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 £2.27

$1.42 MX$26.56

114.08%

Eggs

$4.42 £3.29

$2.52 MX$47.27

75.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 £7.34

$7.26 MX$136

35.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 £7.21

$7.70 MX$144

25.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 £10.76

$12.69 MX$238

13.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 £2.13

$2.78 MX$52.2

2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.37 MX$25.64

27.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.12

$2.55 MX$47.80

11.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.53

$2.12 MX$39.78

59.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$1.94 MX$36.32

-5.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.89 MX$35.34

-16.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$1.15 MX$21.49

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.18 MX$22.09

54.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.33 £15.91

$4.30 MX$80.5

396.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.30

$9.95 MX$186

11.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 £2.20

$1.58 MX$29.67

87.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 £2.54

$2.67 MX$50.1

27.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 £2.47

$0.55 MX$10.37

503.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.1 £58.2

$26.62 MX$499

193.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 £3.22

$4.97 MX$93.1

-13.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 £1.46

$3.33 MX$62.4

-41.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.03 £23.88

$5.36 MX$100

497.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 £1.61

$1.44 MX$27.06

50.00%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

84.86%

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

$40.9K £30.5K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

74.30%

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

$327 £244

$84.8 MX$1,589

285.62%

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

$29.33 £21.87

$23.41 MX$439

25.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 £39.71

$28.66 MX$537

85.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.74 £28.14

$57.1 MX$1,069

-33.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.78 £12.51

$28.91 MX$542

-41.96%

Cinema Ticket

$15.96 £11.90

$5.14 MX$96.3

210.51%

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

$1,886 £1,406

$207 MX$3,871

813.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K £13.7K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

366.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £78.9

$43.35 MX$812

144.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 £38.28

$41.44 MX$777

23.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.3

$74.2 MX$1,390

37.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 £97.5

$89.3 MX$1,672

46.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 £1,133

$980 MX$18.4K

55.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 £887

$381 MX$7,136

212.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,360 £1,760

$1,708 MX$32.0K

38.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 £1,351

$1,075 MX$20.1K

68.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,632 £4,199

$3,943 MX$73.9K

42.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,849 £3,616

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-21.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,372 £2,514

$735 MX$13.8K

359.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

11.45

-56.68%

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

Last update for Southampton: October 24, 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

Southampton

$1.2K 44.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 68% $809

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southampton

$410 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 66.6% $273

Eating Out

Southampton

$384 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 47.3% $182

Groceries & Markets

Southampton

$320 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 20.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Southampton

$176 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 36.4% $64

Getting Around

Southampton

$105 4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Southampton

$70 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.4% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,520 in Southampton 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 Southampton are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Southampton versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southampton

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

5 h behind Southampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,600

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.832 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Southampton Playa del Carmen 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Southampton
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

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

Yes – Southampton is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,982 per month in Southampton 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,520 in Southampton.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,655 in Southampton and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 55% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 66% 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 Southampton at $2,655. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Southampton 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.

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