Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bra and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,549 in Bra, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Bra
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Bra Living Index
58

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

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Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,549

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,549 in Bra versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Bra $1,549
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,248 in Bra versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Bra $2,248
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,948 in Bra versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Bra $2,948
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Bra is roughly 29% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bra is 14% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 €20.46

$10.92 MX$204

108.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.40 €35.40

$43.37 MX$808

-9.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.24

$11.78 MX$220

-3.23%

Cappuccino

$1.74 €1.56

$3.81 MX$71.0

-54.33%

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

$3.79 €3.40

$1.28 MX$23.90

196.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.49

$0.78 MX$14.59

111.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.88

$3.17 MX$59.0

71.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.96

$4.93 MX$92.0

-10.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.41 MX$26.22

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 €2.32

$2.22 MX$41.33

16.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.39

$1.42 MX$26.42

87.32%

Eggs

$3.21 €2.88

$2.52 MX$47.03

27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 €11.66

$7.26 MX$135

78.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 €10.37

$7.70 MX$143

49.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.11 €17.17

$12.69 MX$237

50.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.78 MX$51.9

-18.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.37 MX$25.50

54.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.55 MX$47.55

-11.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €3.00

$2.12 MX$39.58

57.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.94 MX$36.13

-11.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.89 MX$35.16

-11.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.03

$1.15 MX$21.37

-0.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.52

$1.18 MX$21.98

-51.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 €6.00

$4.30 MX$80.1

55.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 €5.48

$9.95 MX$185

-38.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.58 MX$29.52

3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.99

$2.67 MX$49.79

-17.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.47

$0.55 MX$10.31

196.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.35 €41.64

$26.62 MX$496

74.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.04 €7.22

$4.97 MX$92.6

61.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.04

$3.33 MX$62.1

-31.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.21 €10.07

$5.36 MX$99.8

109.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.44 MX$26.92

43.75%

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

$27.3K €24.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

32.23%

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

$29.5K €26.5K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

25.70%

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

$112 €101

$84.8 MX$1,581

32.57%

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

$10.21 €9.17

$23.41 MX$436

-56.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.26 €25.39

$28.66 MX$534

-1.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.9 €70.0

$57.1 MX$1,063

36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 €8.22

$5.14 MX$95.8

78.02%

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

$111 €100

$207 MX$3,851

-46.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K €17.0K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

383.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.3

$43.35 MX$808

134.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 €45.06

$41.44 MX$772

21.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$74.2 MX$1,383

53.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €121

$89.3 MX$1,664

50.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 €601

$980 MX$18.3K

-31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 €396

$381 MX$7,099

15.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$562 €504

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-67.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 €453

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-53.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

11.45

-72.93%

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

Last update for Bra: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bra

$441 28.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 13.7% $60

Groceries & Markets

Bra

$314 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 18.7% $59

Eating Out

Bra

$295 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 31.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Bra

$180 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 37.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bra

$151 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 9.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bra

$96 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 30% $29

Getting Around

Bra

$72 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 30.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $669 in Bra and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Bra vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $314 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bra

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

16:20 4:20 PM

6 h behind Bra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,224

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bra Playa del Carmen 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bra
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Bra. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,323 in Bra and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $669 in Bra versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $111 in Bra versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Bra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,549 in Bra, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bra. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.