Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wick and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,492 in Wick, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Wick, United Kingdom
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Wick
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,492
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,492 per month in Wick vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Wick $2,492
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,441 per month in Wick vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Wick $3,441
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,390 per month in Wick vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Wick $4,390
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Wick costs about 107% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wick sits 84% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wick
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 £15.08
$10.67 MX$199
90.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.8 £50.3
$43.80 MX$815
54.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.81 £8.02
$11.79 MX$219
-8.31%
Cappuccino
$3.90 £2.89
$3.79 MX$70.5
2.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 £1.51
$1.30 MX$24.14
56.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 £1.62
$0.83 MX$15.51
163.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.10 £5.26
$3.15 MX$58.6
125.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.69 £5.70
$4.93 MX$91.8
55.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wick
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 £1.11
$1.41 MX$26.22
6.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 £1.28
$2.20 MX$40.86
-21.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 £1.51
$1.47 MX$27.40
38.10%
Eggs
$4.45 £3.30
$2.50 MX$46.47
78.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.60 £6.38
$7.29 MX$136
17.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.23 £9.07
$7.95 MX$148
53.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.74 £12.42
$12.86 MX$239
30.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.43 £1.80
$2.90 MX$53.9
-16.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 £1.01
$1.38 MX$25.74
-1.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.73 £2.03
$2.49 MX$46.36
9.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.80 £2.82
$2.03 MX$37.78
87.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.63 £1.21
$2.02 MX$37.69
-19.31%
Onion (1kg)
$0.83 £0.62
$1.90 MX$35.42
-56.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.21 £0.90
$1.14 MX$21.30
6.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 £1.20
$1.24 MX$23.06
30.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.09 £16.38
$4.27 MX$79.5
417.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.18 £8.29
$9.81 MX$183
13.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.71 £2.01
$1.59 MX$29.51
70.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 £2.24
$2.75 MX$51.1
9.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Wick
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.04 £2.99
$0.51 MX$9.58
692.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$105 £77.8
$27.39 MX$510
282.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.10 £3.04
$4.76 MX$88.6
-13.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.36 £1.75
$3.25 MX$60.5
-27.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.07 £17.85
$5.39 MX$100
346.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.89 £1.40
$1.53 MX$28.44
23.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.1K £29.0K
$21.2K MX$394.8K
84.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.1K £29.8K
$23.3K MX$432.9K
72.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wick
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$407 £302
$83.5 MX$1,554
387.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.75 £20.58
$23.19 MX$431
19.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.96 £31.86
$27.61 MX$514
55.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wick
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.20 £29.81
$56.4 MX$1,050
-28.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.19 MX$525
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.67 £8.65
$5.00 MX$93.1
133.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wick
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,851 £1,373
$207 MX$3,854
793.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.6K £17.5K
$5,231 MX$97.4K
350.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wick
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$96.1 £71.3
$43.45 MX$809
121.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.59 £36.03
$42.54 MX$792
14.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 £78.4
$72.8 MX$1,354
45.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 £84.1
$88.4 MX$1,645
28.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wick
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,295 £960
$995 MX$18.5K
30.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,022 £758
$382 MX$7,116
167.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,306 £1,710
$1,674 MX$31.2K
37.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,413 £1,048
$1,081 MX$20.1K
30.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,026 £3,727
$3,909 MX$72.7K
28.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,390 £2,514
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-44.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wick
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.11
11.45
-55.37%

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

Last update for Wick: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Wick
$1K
Playa del Carmen
$382 62.6% $640
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wick
$478
Playa del Carmen
$134 71.9% $344
Groceries & Markets
Wick
$318
Playa del Carmen
$257 19.1% $61
Eating Out
Wick
$310
Playa del Carmen
$200 35.3% $109
Clothing & Footwear
Wick
$164
Playa del Carmen
$111 32.1% $53
Getting Around
Wick
$137
Playa del Carmen
$50 63.2% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Wick
$64
Playa del Carmen
$66 4.6% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,295 in Wick versus $995 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 in Wick versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Wick
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
14:56 2:56 PM
09:56 9:56 AM
5 h behind Wick
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,900
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.831 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Wick Playa del Carmen 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Wick
  • 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
Wick vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Wick?
Yes – Wick is pricier by about 107%, 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 $3,738 per month in Wick and $1,804 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,295 in Wick.
What are total monthly expenses in Wick and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,492 in Wick and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 52% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 74% 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 Wick or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Wick at $2,492. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wick it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Wick 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 easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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