Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Westminster and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,124 in Westminster, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Westminster
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Westminster Living Index
59

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

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Westminster

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,124

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,124 per month in Westminster vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Westminster $3,124
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,299 per month in Westminster vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Westminster $4,299
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $5,473 per month in Westminster vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Westminster $5,473
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Westminster costs about 159% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Westminster sits 131% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.48 £15.37

$10.86 MX$201

88.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.8 £64.4

$44.21 MX$817

94.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 £7.08

$11.76 MX$217

-19.81%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.58

$3.68 MX$68.0

29.62%

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

$1.87 £1.40

$1.34 MX$24.79

39.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$0.82 MX$15.24

108.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 £5.07

$3.06 MX$56.6

120.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 £4.44

$4.94 MX$91.2

19.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.47 MX$27.17

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 £1.10

$2.22 MX$40.95

-34.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.48 MX$27.32

27.03%

Eggs

$3.92 £2.94

$2.49 MX$45.99

57.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 £6.48

$7.52 MX$139

14.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 £6.54

$7.96 MX$147

9.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 £9.81

$12.57 MX$232

4.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 £2.37

$2.78 MX$51.3

13.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.43 MX$26.37

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 £1.89

$2.62 MX$48.37

-3.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 £2.10

$2.14 MX$39.49

30.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$2.02 MX$37.38

-19.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 £1.23

$1.99 MX$36.74

-18.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.14 MX$21.01

11.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.20 MX$22.18

1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.44 £17.58

$4.26 MX$78.7

450.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.11 £6.84

$10.02 MX$185

-9.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 £2.08

$1.54 MX$28.41

79.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 £1.89

$2.66 MX$49.17

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 £2.48

$0.53 MX$9.73

524.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 £3.68

$4.90 MX$90.6

0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 £1.08

$3.43 MX$63.5

-58.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.65 £17.74

$5.38 MX$99.4

339.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.45 MX$26.76

34.48%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

78.86%

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

$40.3K £30.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

75.20%

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

$315 £236

$85.4 MX$1,577

269.14%

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

$14.15 £10.61

$23.46 MX$434

-39.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.92 £30.70

$28.43 MX$525

43.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 £89.9

$62.2 MX$1,149

92.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$20.17 £15.13

$5.10 MX$94.3

295.49%

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

$1,859 £1,395

$201 MX$3,715

824.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.5K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

457.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 £81.0

$44.39 MX$820

143.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 £33.14

$41.35 MX$764

6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 £67.0

$72.7 MX$1,344

22.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 £70.7

$89.6 MX$1,656

5.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 £2,324

$979 MX$18.1K

216.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 £1,374

$373 MX$6,887

391.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,848 £3,637

$1,681 MX$31.1K

188.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,678 £2,009

$1,095 MX$20.2K

144.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,557 £2,669

$738 MX$13.6K

382.35%

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 Westminster: October 19, 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

Westminster

$1.8K 58.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 79.6% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Westminster

$370 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.9% $233

Eating Out

Westminster

$309 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 35.3% $109

Groceries & Markets

Westminster

$277 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 6.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Westminster

$160 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 54.8% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Westminster

$151 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.1% $39

Getting Around

Westminster

$25 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 104% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,098 in Westminster 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 382% higher in Westminster, 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 $86.0 in Westminster versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Westminster

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

6 h behind Westminster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

247,614

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Westminster Playa del Carmen 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Westminster
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

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

Yes – Westminster is pricier by about 159%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,686 per month in Westminster 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,124 in Westminster and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 159%.

Kindergarten costs $1,859 per month in Westminster and $201 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 Westminster at $3,124. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Westminster 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, Westminster makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.