Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Telford and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,057 in Telford, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Telford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,057
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,057 per month in Telford vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Telford $2,057
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,957 per month in Telford vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Telford $2,957
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,857 per month in Telford vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Telford $3,857
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Telford costs about 71% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Telford sits 52% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Telford
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.11 £15.09
$10.86 MX$201
85.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.8 £55.4
$44.21 MX$817
66.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.75 £7.32
$11.76 MX$217
-17.09%
Cappuccino
$4.21 £3.16
$3.68 MX$68.0
14.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 £2.03
$1.34 MX$24.79
101.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 £0.80
$0.82 MX$15.24
30.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.98 £4.48
$3.06 MX$56.6
95.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.64 £4.98
$4.94 MX$91.2
34.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Telford
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.47 MX$27.17
8.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 £0.77
$2.22 MX$40.95
-54.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 £1.00
$1.48 MX$27.32
-10.14%
Eggs
$3.28 £2.46
$2.49 MX$45.99
31.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.28 £5.46
$7.52 MX$139
-3.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.30 £6.98
$7.96 MX$147
16.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.77 £8.83
$12.57 MX$232
-6.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.43 £1.82
$2.78 MX$51.3
-12.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 £1.36
$1.43 MX$26.37
26.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.50 £1.88
$2.62 MX$48.37
-4.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.73 £2.05
$2.14 MX$39.49
27.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 £1.40
$2.02 MX$37.38
-7.92%
Onion (1kg)
$2.03 £1.52
$1.99 MX$36.74
2.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 £0.72
$1.14 MX$21.01
-14.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 £1.01
$1.20 MX$22.18
12.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.87 £14.91
$4.26 MX$78.7
366.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.14 £7.60
$10.02 MX$185
1.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.71 £4.29
$1.54 MX$28.41
270.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.33 £4.00
$2.66 MX$49.17
100.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Telford
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.08 £3.06
$0.53 MX$9.73
669.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$152 £114
$27.51 MX$508
451.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.99 £5.24
$4.90 MX$90.6
42.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.97 £2.98
$3.43 MX$63.5
15.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.38 MX$99.4
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.39
$1.45 MX$26.76
28.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.1K £30.1K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
89.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.3K £33.3K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
92.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Telford
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$280 £210
$85.4 MX$1,577
227.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.76 £16.33
$23.46 MX$434
-7.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.29 £26.48
$28.43 MX$525
24.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Telford
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.31 £35.49
$62.2 MX$1,149
-23.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.68 MX$530
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.21 £12.91
$5.10 MX$94.3
237.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Telford
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,570 £1,178
$201 MX$3,715
681.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.5K £17.6K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
495.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Telford
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.1 £39.84
$44.39 MX$820
19.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.38 £19.04
$41.35 MX$764
-38.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.3 £74.5
$72.7 MX$1,344
36.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 £101
$89.6 MX$1,656
50.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Telford
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$845 £634
$979 MX$18.1K
-13.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$720 £540
$373 MX$6,887
93.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,243 £932
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-26.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,011 £758
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-7.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,015 £3,012
$3,949 MX$73.0K
1.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,592 £6,446
$6,137 MX$113.4K
40.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Telford
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,283 £2,463
$738 MX$13.6K
345.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.3
11.45
-53.71%

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

Last update for Telford: October 18, 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
Telford
$720
Playa del Carmen
$373 48.2% $347
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Telford
$337
Playa del Carmen
$137 59.3% $200
Eating Out
Telford
$299
Playa del Carmen
$200 33% $99
Groceries & Markets
Telford
$284
Playa del Carmen
$258 9.1% $26
Getting Around
Telford
$195
Playa del Carmen
$52 73.5% $143
Clothing & Footwear
Telford
$141
Playa del Carmen
$112 20.6% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Telford
$82
Playa del Carmen
$72 11.4% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Telford 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 345% higher in Telford, 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 $74.0 in Telford versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Telford
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
20:31 8:31 PM
14:31 2:31 PM
6 h behind Telford
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
180,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 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 23, 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
  • Telford Playa del Carmen 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Telford
  • 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
Telford vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Telford?
Yes – Telford is pricier by about 71%, 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 $3,086 per month in Telford 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 Telford and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,057 in Telford and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 71%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 452% 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 Telford 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 Telford at $2,057. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Telford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Telford 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, Telford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Telford vs other spots: cost of living compared

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