Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey, United Kingdom and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,025 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index
58

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

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Surrey

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,025

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,025 per month in Surrey vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Surrey $3,025
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,456 per month in Surrey vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Surrey $4,456
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,887 per month in Surrey vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Surrey $5,887
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Surrey costs about 151% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surrey sits 122% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.47 £17.66

$10.92 MX$204

114.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 £44.75

$43.37 MX$808

37.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.62 £7.24

$11.78 MX$220

-18.34%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.59

$3.81 MX$71.0

25.20%

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

$2.26 £1.70

$1.28 MX$23.90

76.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$0.78 MX$14.59

89.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.54 £4.92

$3.17 MX$59.0

106.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 £4.63

$4.93 MX$92.0

24.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 £0.99

$1.41 MX$26.22

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 £1.58

$2.22 MX$41.33

-5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 £1.21

$1.42 MX$26.42

12.68%

Eggs

$4.15 £3.13

$2.52 MX$47.03

64.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 £6.49

$7.26 MX$135

18.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 £7.02

$7.70 MX$143

21.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.52 £12.43

$12.69 MX$237

30.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 £2.40

$2.78 MX$51.9

14.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 £1.12

$1.37 MX$25.50

8.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 £1.53

$2.55 MX$47.55

-20.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 £2.45

$2.12 MX$39.58

53.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.94 MX$36.13

-28.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.89 MX$35.16

-5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.06

$1.15 MX$21.37

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.18 MX$21.98

-0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.32 £17.55

$4.30 MX$80.1

442.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.47 £7.88

$9.95 MX$185

5.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.67

$1.58 MX$29.52

40.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.88

$2.67 MX$49.79

-6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 £2.93

$0.55 MX$10.31

609.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.22 £3.93

$4.97 MX$92.6

5.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.44 MX$26.92

34.03%

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

$38.1K £28.7K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

84.53%

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

$41.0K £30.8K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

74.60%

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

$263 £198

$84.8 MX$1,581

209.84%

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

$13.29 £10.00

$23.41 MX$436

-43.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.87 £27.00

$28.66 MX$534

25.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 £39.69

$57.1 MX$1,063

-7.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.44 £13.88

$28.91 MX$539

-36.22%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 £9.84

$5.14 MX$95.8

154.28%

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

$2,137 £1,609

$207 MX$3,851

934.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K £22.5K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

661.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 £39.69

$43.35 MX$808

21.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 £30.12

$41.44 MX$772

-3.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 £65.8

$74.2 MX$1,383

17.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.0 £70.0

$89.3 MX$1,664

4.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 £1,463

$980 MX$18.3K

98.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,864 £1,403

$381 MX$7,099

389.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,308 £2,489

$1,708 MX$31.8K

93.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,400 £2,559

$1,075 MX$20.0K

216.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,255 £5,460

$6,158 MX$114.8K

17.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,565 £3,436

$735 MX$13.7K

521.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

11.45

-52.84%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 27, 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

Surrey

$1.9K 61.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 79.6% $1.5K

Eating Out

Surrey

$334 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 39.4% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$312 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 56.1% $175

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$293 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 13% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$123 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$79 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 14.7% $12

Getting Around

Surrey

$21 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 143% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,945 in Surrey 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 Surrey are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Surrey versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Surrey

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

09:59 9:59 AM

5 h behind Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

585

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Surrey Playa del Carmen 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Surrey
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

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

Yes – Surrey is pricier by about 151%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,538 per month in Surrey 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 $1,945 in Surrey.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,025 in Surrey and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 151%.

Kindergarten costs $2,137 per month in Surrey and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Surrey at $3,025. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surrey 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.