Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brades and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Brades: $923 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Brades

🇲🇸 Montserrat

$923

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $923 in Brades versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Brades $923
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,139 in Brades versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Brades $2,139
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,355 in Brades versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Brades $3,355
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Brades costs roughly 23% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brades 32% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.72 EC$50.5

$10.92 MX$203

71.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.37 EC$128

$43.37 MX$808

9.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 EC$32.78

$11.78 MX$219

3.06%

Cappuccino

$7.14 EC$19.27

$3.81 MX$71.0

87.40%

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

$2.80 EC$7.55

$1.28 MX$23.89

118.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 EC$4.26

$0.78 MX$14.58

102.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 EC$7.90

$3.17 MX$59.0

-7.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 EC$12.22

$4.93 MX$91.9

-8.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.47 EC$9.37

$1.41 MX$26.20

146.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 EC$7.96

$2.22 MX$41.30

32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

Eggs

$7.07 EC$19.08

$2.52 MX$47.00

180.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.76 EC$15.54

$7.26 MX$135

-20.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 EC$24.59

$7.70 MX$143

18.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 EC$61.8

$12.69 MX$236

80.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 EC$9.03

$2.78 MX$51.9

20.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 EC$11.82

$2.12 MX$39.55

106.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 EC$6.07

$1.89 MX$35.13

19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.21 EC$14.06

$1.15 MX$21.36

353.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

Wine (Bottle)

$22.17 EC$59.9

$9.95 MX$185

122.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 EC$12.19

$2.67 MX$49.76

68.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 EC$5.11

$0.55 MX$10.31

243.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.70 EC$12.68

$3.33 MX$62.1

41.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 EC$5.12

$5.36 MX$99.8

-64.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

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

$22.2K EC$60.0K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

7.52%

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

$15.0K EC$40.4K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

-36.20%

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

$92.8 EC$250

$84.8 MX$1,580

9.40%

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

$40.24 EC$109

$23.41 MX$436

71.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.18 EC$130

$28.66 MX$534

68.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 EC$152

$57.1 MX$1,063

-1.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

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

$207 MX$3,848

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,296 EC$3,499

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-24.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 EC$3,455

$1,075 MX$20.0K

19.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,320 EC$3,563

$735 MX$13.7K

79.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Brades: October 26, 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

Brades

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Brades

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Brades

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brades

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Brades

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Brades

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Brades

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

Brades pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Brades vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇸 Brades

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

1 h behind Brades

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400

149,923

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brades Playa del Carmen 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brades
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

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

Brades wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brades the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Brades, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you’ll spend $923 per month in Brades versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Brades is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Brades is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.