Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stafford and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,238 in Stafford, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Stafford
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Stafford Living Index
57

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

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Stafford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,238

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,238 per month in Stafford vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stafford $2,238
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,350 per month in Stafford vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stafford $3,350
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,461 per month in Stafford vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stafford $4,461
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Stafford costs about 86% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Stafford 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

$21.50 £15.95

$10.67 MX$199

101.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 £55.6

$43.80 MX$815

71.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.82

$11.79 MX$219

-10.60%

Cappuccino

$4.71 £3.50

$3.79 MX$70.5

24.27%

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

$2.07 £1.53

$1.30 MX$24.14

59.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 £1.30

$0.83 MX$15.51

110.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 £4.93

$3.15 MX$58.6

111.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 £3.87

$4.93 MX$91.8

5.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 £1.33

$1.41 MX$26.22

27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 £1.15

$2.20 MX$40.86

-29.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 £1.56

$1.47 MX$27.40

42.86%

Eggs

$3.56 £2.64

$2.50 MX$46.47

42.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.25 £7.60

$7.29 MX$136

40.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 £6.73

$7.95 MX$148

14.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 £9.49

$12.86 MX$239

-0.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 £2.14

$2.90 MX$53.9

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.30

$1.38 MX$25.74

26.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 £2.72

$2.49 MX$46.36

47.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 £2.55

$2.03 MX$37.78

68.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.54

$2.02 MX$37.69

2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 £1.34

$1.90 MX$35.42

-4.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.14 MX$21.30

3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.24 MX$23.06

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.78 £16.15

$4.27 MX$79.5

410.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.50 £7.04

$9.81 MX$183

-3.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.51

$1.59 MX$29.51

113.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 £2.87

$2.75 MX$51.1

40.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.73 £3.50

$0.51 MX$9.58

827.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.5 £68.6

$27.39 MX$510

237.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 £2.04

$4.76 MX$88.6

-42.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 £1.01

$3.25 MX$60.5

-58.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.75 £19.10

$5.39 MX$100

377.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.56

$1.53 MX$28.44

37.25%

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

$38.4K £28.5K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

81.07%

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

$40.7K £30.2K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

74.85%

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

$294 £218

$83.5 MX$1,554

252.04%

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

$20.19 £14.97

$23.19 MX$431

-12.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.52 £31.53

$27.61 MX$514

54.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.64 £30.14

$56.4 MX$1,050

-27.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 £14.51

$28.19 MX$525

-30.58%

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 £11.72

$5.00 MX$93.1

216.20%

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

$1,250 £927

$207 MX$3,854

503.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,719 £5,724

$5,231 MX$97.4K

47.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 £56.0

$43.45 MX$809

73.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.03 £34.88

$42.54 MX$792

10.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 £62.8

$72.8 MX$1,354

16.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.2 £72.8

$88.4 MX$1,645

11.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 £852

$995 MX$18.5K

15.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$926 £687

$382 MX$7,116

142.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 £1,184

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-4.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 £1,215

$1,081 MX$20.1K

51.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,986 £2,956

$3,909 MX$72.7K

1.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,330 £2,470

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-45.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 £2,224

$832 MX$15.5K

260.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

11.45

-53.10%

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

Last update for Stafford: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stafford

$926 41.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 58.7% $544

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stafford

$357 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 62.3% $222

Eating Out

Stafford

$319 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 37.3% $119

Groceries & Markets

Stafford

$306 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 15.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Stafford

$137 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 19.1% $26

Getting Around

Stafford

$121 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 58.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Stafford

$72 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 8.1% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,149 in Stafford versus $995 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 Stafford are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Stafford versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Stafford

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:13 11:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

5 h behind Stafford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,673

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Stafford Playa del Carmen 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Stafford
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

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

Yes – Stafford is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,357 per month in Stafford and $1,804 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 $995 there versus $1,149 in Stafford.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,238 in Stafford and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 46% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 70% 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 $1,202, than in Stafford at $2,238. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stafford 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, Stafford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.