Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,966 in Thames, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
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Thames Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,966 per month in Thames vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Thames $1,966
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,999 per month in Thames vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Thames $2,999
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,032 per month in Thames vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Thames $4,032
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Thames costs about 62% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Thames sits 46% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$10.76 MX$199

29.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$43.03 MX$795

58.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 NZ$15.72

$11.79 MX$218

-24.60%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.06

$3.87 MX$71.4

-11.63%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$1.37 MX$25.29

47.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$0.84 MX$15.44

107.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$3.10 MX$57.3

121.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 NZ$11.90

$5.07 MX$93.6

32.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.44 MX$26.55

29.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$2.23 MX$41.23

-0.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$1.47 MX$27.17

21.77%

Eggs

$6.20 NZ$10.97

$2.53 MX$46.71

145.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 NZ$15.55

$7.30 MX$135

20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 NZ$17.11

$7.86 MX$145

23.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 NZ$29.74

$12.79 MX$236

31.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.95

$2.90 MX$53.6

-3.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.82

$1.44 MX$26.53

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$2.55 MX$47.07

14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.17

$2.06 MX$38.03

179.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$2.00 MX$36.97

6.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$2.01 MX$37.07

-24.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$1.19 MX$22.02

66.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$1.26 MX$23.23

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.57 NZ$46.99

$4.40 MX$81.4

503.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 NZ$18.12

$9.59 MX$177

6.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.02

$1.59 MX$29.41

78.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$5.98

$2.81 MX$51.9

20.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$0.57 MX$10.47

154.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 NZ$133

$27.82 MX$514

170.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.06

$4.98 MX$92.1

-53.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$3.50 MX$64.6

-45.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.20 NZ$56.9

$5.40 MX$99.8

496.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.47 MX$27.08

27.21%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

19.84%

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

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-9.27%

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

$183 NZ$324

$84.2 MX$1,556

117.88%

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

$26.20 NZ$46.33

$23.99 MX$443

9.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$89.6

$29.02 MX$536

74.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 NZ$74.0

$63.0 MX$1,164

-33.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 NZ$23.17

$4.94 MX$91.3

165.18%

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

$1,135 NZ$2,007

$204 MX$3,763

457.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

387.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$43.60 MX$806

81.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 NZ$70.6

$43.12 MX$797

-7.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 NZ$163

$75.8 MX$1,400

21.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$197

$88.6 MX$1,637

25.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NZ$1,645

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 NZ$1,451

$374 MX$6,911

119.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 NZ$2,624

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-13.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 NZ$2,629

$1,106 MX$20.4K

34.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 NZ$8,050

$3,944 MX$72.9K

15.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,773 NZ$6,673

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-38.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

11.45

-53.10%

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

Last update for Thames: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Thames

$821 41.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 54.4% $447

Groceries & Markets

Thames

$337 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 23.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thames

$260 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 47.3% $123

Eating Out

Thames

$242 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 16.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Thames

$145 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 22.2% $32

Getting Around

Thames

$93 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 43.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Thames

$68 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 7.1% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $930 in Thames versus $1,008 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Thames versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Thames

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

18 h behind Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

149,923

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thames Playa del Carmen 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Thames
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

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

Yes – Thames is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,949 per month in Thames and $1,816 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,966 in Thames and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 62%.

Public transport costs about 171% 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 $1,210, than in Thames at $1,966. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thames 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.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thames makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.