Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sutton and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,171 in Sutton, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sutton
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,171
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,171 per month in Sutton vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sutton $2,171
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,051 per month in Sutton vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sutton $3,051
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Sutton vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sutton $3,931
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Sutton costs about 80% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sutton sits 60% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sutton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.79 £20.10
$10.86 MX$201
146.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$94.8 £71.1
$44.21 MX$817
114.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.83 £8.12
$11.76 MX$217
-7.91%
Cappuccino
$4.97 £3.73
$3.68 MX$68.0
35.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 £2.13
$1.34 MX$24.79
111.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.66
$0.82 MX$15.24
170.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.74 £6.56
$3.06 MX$56.6
185.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.71 £5.04
$4.94 MX$91.2
35.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sutton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 £1.43
$1.47 MX$27.17
29.25%
White Bread (500g)
$1.68 £1.26
$2.22 MX$40.95
-24.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.45 £1.84
$1.48 MX$27.32
65.54%
Eggs
$3.78 £2.83
$2.49 MX$45.99
51.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.40 £8.55
$7.52 MX$139
51.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.40 £6.30
$7.96 MX$147
5.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.73 £9.55
$12.57 MX$232
1.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 £2.28
$2.78 MX$51.3
9.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.43 MX$26.37
0.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 £2.16
$2.62 MX$48.37
9.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.14 £2.36
$2.14 MX$39.49
46.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 £1.18
$2.02 MX$37.38
-22.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$1.99 MX$36.74
-29.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 £0.74
$1.14 MX$21.01
-13.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.20 MX$22.18
23.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.94 £17.96
$4.26 MX$78.7
461.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.19 £9.90
$10.02 MX$185
31.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$1.54 MX$28.41
42.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 £2.29
$2.66 MX$49.17
15.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Sutton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.28 £2.46
$0.53 MX$9.73
518.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.71 £4.28
$4.90 MX$90.6
16.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 £2.50
$3.43 MX$63.5
-2.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.26 £9.94
$5.38 MX$99.4
146.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 £1.54
$1.45 MX$26.76
41.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K £28.6K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
79.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K £30.9K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
78.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sutton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$277 £208
$85.4 MX$1,577
224.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.30 £13.73
$23.46 MX$434
-21.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.31 £30.99
$28.43 MX$525
45.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sutton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$62.2 MX$1,149
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.68 MX$530
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.43 £10.83
$5.10 MX$94.3
182.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sutton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,765 £1,324
$201 MX$3,715
777.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.4K £22.0K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
644.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sutton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.2 £56.4
$44.39 MX$820
69.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.0 £40.50
$41.35 MX$764
30.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 £87.3
$72.7 MX$1,344
59.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 £80.4
$89.6 MX$1,656
19.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sutton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,520 £1,140
$979 MX$18.1K
55.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$928 £696
$373 MX$6,887
149.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,647 £1,986
$1,681 MX$31.1K
57.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,148 £861
$1,095 MX$20.2K
4.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,429 £5,573
$6,137 MX$113.4K
21.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sutton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,370 £3,278
$738 MX$13.6K
492.49%
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 Sutton: October 17, 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
Sutton
$928
Playa del Carmen
$373 59.8% $556
Eating Out
Sutton
$384
Playa del Carmen
$200 47.8% $184
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sutton
$337
Playa del Carmen
$137 59.3% $200
Groceries & Markets
Sutton
$299
Playa del Carmen
$258 13.6% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Sutton
$159
Playa del Carmen
$112 29.7% $47
Getting Around
Sutton
$35 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 45.9% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Sutton
$29 *
Playa del Carmen
$72 151% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,520 in Sutton 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 492% higher in Sutton, 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 $95.0 in Sutton versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Sutton
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
14:22 2:22 PM
08:22 8:22 AM
6 h behind Sutton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
187,600
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 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 24, 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
  • Sutton Playa del Carmen 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sutton
  • 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
Sutton vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Sutton?
Yes – Sutton is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,256 per month in Sutton 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 Sutton and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,171 in Sutton and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 80%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,765 per month in Sutton and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Sutton 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 Sutton at $2,171. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sutton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Sutton 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 safer, Sutton or Playa del Carmen?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
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, Sutton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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