A man has claimed that staying in a luxury all-inclusive resort for a month in Mexico could be cheaper than living at home.
Seattle-based vlogger Ben Keenan shared on TikTok his expenses, while staying at Ocean Riviera Paradise resort in Mexico’s Playa del Carmen.
He broke down his finances – including food, drinks, events and amenities, such as gym membership – on the trip, comparing to his normal life in the States.
Ben said in his normal life, his outgoings would come to around $4,100 (£3,244) a month, including $2,300 on rent, $200 on utilities, and $270 for car payment.
In contrast, the total for his Mexican holiday came to $4,900 (£3,877), excluding airfare.
Though more expensive, Ben said that his hotel stay included lots of benefits, such as access to events, a pool, room service and housekeeping, which he’d have to pay extra for at home.
He also highlighted that the trip could be cheaper for others.
‘If you’re looking on paper directly, what I paid for was $800 more expensive to live in Mexico,’ he said.
‘However, mine was fairly last-minute. If I booked earlier I would have saved a further $400.
‘The whole idea is that you want to be flexible with what you do. You can book whenever you want, the price will change.
‘It was not cheaper for me, but I can’t say if it would be cheaper for you or not,’ he added.
Would Ben’s travel costs have been cheaper than the average cost of living in the UK?
According to Zoopla’s latest data, the average rent in the UK is £1,223 per month, after a growth of 7.2% in the last year.
The highest average rent in the UK is in London, which is £2,121, excluding bills.
The average monthly council tax bill in the UK is £172.08, while the monthly water bill in the UK is £39.
For monthly gas and electricity bill, it’s £140; a monthly TV licence fee is £13.25; and the average monthly food bill is around £374 in the UK.
So, in total, Londoners would be looking at an average cost of £2,858, while people in the rest of the UK would be look at an average of £1,961, assuming they don’t split costs.
Using this logic then, it would sadly be a far greater cost for Brits to go live in the luxury Mexican resort for a month than it would be for Americans.
We like the idea though…
Your Daily Horoscope
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.