Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,196 in Swansea, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
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Swansea Living Index
58

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

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Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,196

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,196 per month in Swansea vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Swansea $2,196
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,130 per month in Swansea vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Swansea $3,130
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,065 per month in Swansea vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Swansea $4,065
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Swansea costs about 82% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Swansea sits 61% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.41 £15.36

$10.92 MX$204

86.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 £47.46

$43.37 MX$808

45.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.88

$11.78 MX$220

-11.12%

Cappuccino

$4.76 £3.59

$3.81 MX$71.0

24.93%

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

$2.36 £1.78

$1.28 MX$23.90

84.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 £0.95

$0.78 MX$14.59

61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.89 £4.43

$3.17 MX$59.0

85.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 £4.80

$4.93 MX$92.0

29.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.41 MX$26.22

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.22 MX$41.33

-7.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 £1.55

$1.42 MX$26.42

45.07%

Eggs

$3.52 £2.65

$2.52 MX$47.03

39.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 £5.86

$7.26 MX$135

7.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 £6.27

$7.70 MX$143

8.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 £9.69

$12.69 MX$237

1.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 £1.74

$2.78 MX$51.9

-16.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.37 MX$25.50

-9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.16

$2.55 MX$47.55

12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.69

$2.12 MX$39.58

68.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$1.94 MX$36.13

15.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 £2.30

$1.89 MX$35.16

61.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.96

$1.15 MX$21.37

10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.73

$1.18 MX$21.98

94.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.23 £17.48

$4.30 MX$80.1

440.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 £8.00

$9.95 MX$185

6.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 £1.75

$1.58 MX$29.52

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 £2.56

$2.67 MX$49.79

27.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.12 £3.10

$0.55 MX$10.31

649.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.1 £73.1

$26.62 MX$496

264.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 £2.97

$4.97 MX$92.6

-20.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 £2.02

$3.33 MX$62.1

-19.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.33 £25.08

$5.36 MX$99.8

521.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.44 MX$26.92

35.42%

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

$38.9K £29.3K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

88.29%

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

$40.5K £30.5K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

72.47%

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

$306 £231

$84.8 MX$1,581

261.45%

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

$14.81 £11.15

$23.41 MX$436

-36.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.20 £32.51

$28.66 MX$534

50.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.28 £25.05

$57.1 MX$1,063

-41.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.52 £11.68

$28.91 MX$539

-46.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 £7.41

$5.14 MX$95.8

91.63%

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

$1,777 £1,337

$207 MX$3,851

760.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 £67.5

$43.35 MX$808

106.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 £36.29

$41.44 MX$772

16.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 £92.0

$74.2 MX$1,383

64.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 £62.1

$89.3 MX$1,664

-7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 £837

$980 MX$18.3K

13.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 £671

$381 MX$7,099

133.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 £1,129

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-12.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 £1,007

$1,075 MX$20.0K

24.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,563 £2,682

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-9.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 £1,968

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-57.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,263 £2,456

$735 MX$13.7K

344.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.04

11.45

-47.25%

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

Last update for Swansea: 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

Swansea

$891 40.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 57.3% $510

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swansea

$364 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.5% $228

Eating Out

Swansea

$309 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 34.4% $106

Groceries & Markets

Swansea

$293 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 13.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Swansea

$154 7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.6% $42

Getting Around

Swansea

$131 6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 61.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Swansea

$53 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 27.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,112 in Swansea 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 Swansea are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Swansea 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

🇬🇧 Swansea

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

15:38 3:38 PM

5 h behind Swansea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

239,000

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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Highest

Between locations

Swansea Playa del Carmen 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Swansea
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

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

Yes – Swansea is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,293 per month in Swansea 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 $1,112 in Swansea.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,196 in Swansea and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 45% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 73% 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 Swansea at $2,196. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swansea 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, Swansea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.