Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunderland and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,845 in Sunderland, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sunderland
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,845
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,845 per month in Sunderland vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sunderland $1,845
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,755 per month in Sunderland vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sunderland $2,755
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

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

  • Sunderland $3,665
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Sunderland costs about 53% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Sunderland sits 36% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sunderland
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.54 £13.91
$10.86 MX$201
70.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.2 £52.7
$44.21 MX$817
58.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.87 £6.66
$11.76 MX$217
-24.57%
Cappuccino
$5.02 £3.77
$3.68 MX$68.0
36.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 £1.74
$1.34 MX$24.79
73.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 £1.47
$0.82 MX$15.24
139.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.63 £3.48
$3.06 MX$56.6
51.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 £3.23
$4.94 MX$91.2
-12.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sunderland
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.47 MX$27.17
-2.04%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 £1.03
$2.22 MX$40.95
-38.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.40 £1.80
$1.48 MX$27.32
62.16%
Eggs
$3.52 £2.64
$2.49 MX$45.99
41.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.72 £7.29
$7.52 MX$139
29.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.99 £6.74
$7.96 MX$147
12.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.35 £10.76
$12.57 MX$232
14.16%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 £2.44
$2.78 MX$51.3
17.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 £1.39
$1.43 MX$26.37
29.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.92 £2.19
$2.62 MX$48.37
11.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.79 £2.84
$2.14 MX$39.49
77.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 £1.34
$2.02 MX$37.38
-11.39%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.99 MX$36.74
-25.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 £0.90
$1.14 MX$21.01
5.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 £1.13
$1.20 MX$22.18
25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.99 £17.25
$4.26 MX$78.7
439.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.19 £7.65
$10.02 MX$185
1.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.57 £2.68
$1.54 MX$28.41
131.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 £2.62
$2.66 MX$49.17
31.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Sunderland
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.08 £1.56
$0.53 MX$9.73
292.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$119 £89.6
$27.51 MX$508
334.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.40 £3.30
$4.90 MX$90.6
-10.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 £1.16
$3.43 MX$63.5
-54.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.14 £21.11
$5.38 MX$99.4
423.05%
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)
$38.3K £28.8K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
81.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.4K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
75.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sunderland
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$248 £186
$85.4 MX$1,577
190.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.93 £12.70
$23.46 MX$434
-27.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.31 £31.74
$28.43 MX$525
48.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sunderland
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.70 £30.53
$62.2 MX$1,149
-34.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.01 £9.01
$28.68 MX$530
-58.12%
Cinema Ticket
$10.66 £8.00
$5.10 MX$94.3
109.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sunderland
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$819 £614
$201 MX$3,715
307.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K £13.2K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
345.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sunderland
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.1 £68.4
$44.39 MX$820
105.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.14 £35.37
$41.35 MX$764
14.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 £81.4
$72.7 MX$1,344
49.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.7 £71.1
$89.6 MX$1,656
5.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sunderland
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$792 £594
$979 MX$18.1K
-19.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$595 £446
$373 MX$6,887
59.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,356 £1,017
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-19.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$957 £718
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-12.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sunderland
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,663 £2,748
$738 MX$13.6K
396.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.15
11.45
-55.02%

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

Last update for Sunderland: October 20, 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
Sunderland
$595
Playa del Carmen
$373 37.4% $222
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sunderland
$307
Playa del Carmen
$137 55.3% $170
Groceries & Markets
Sunderland
$303
Playa del Carmen
$258 14.8% $45
Eating Out
Sunderland
$284
Playa del Carmen
$200 29.5% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Sunderland
$154
Playa del Carmen
$112 27.4% $42
Getting Around
Sunderland
$140
Playa del Carmen
$52 63.1% $88
Sport & Entertainment
Sunderland
$62
Playa del Carmen
$72 16.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $792 in Sunderland 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 397% higher in Sunderland, 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 $70.0 in Sunderland versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Sunderland
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
09:47 9:47 AM
03:47 3:47 AM
6 h behind Sunderland
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
275,300
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 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 22, 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
  • Sunderland Playa del Carmen 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sunderland
  • 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
Sunderland vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Sunderland?
Yes – Sunderland is pricier by about 53%, 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 $2,768 per month in Sunderland 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 Sunderland and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,845 in Sunderland and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 53%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 334% 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 Sunderland 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 Sunderland at $1,845. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sunderland it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Sunderland 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, Sunderland makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Sunderland vs other spots: cost of living compared

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