Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bradley, IL and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,340 in Bradley, IL, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bradley, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,340
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,340 in Bradley, IL versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Bradley, IL $2,340
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,428 in Bradley, IL versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Bradley, IL $3,428
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,517 in Bradley, IL versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Bradley, IL $4,517
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Bradley, IL is roughly 94% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bradley, IL is 73% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bradley, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.80 $14.80
$10.86 MX$201
36.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.6 $62.6
$44.21 MX$817
41.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.84 $7.84
$11.76 MX$217
-33.33%
Cappuccino
$5.61 $5.61
$3.68 MX$68.0
52.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.34 MX$24.79
61.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 $1.13
$0.82 MX$15.24
37.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.37 $5.37
$3.06 MX$56.6
75.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 $4.93
$4.94 MX$91.2
-0.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bradley, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.98 $0.98
$1.47 MX$27.17
-33.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 $2.38
$2.22 MX$40.95
7.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.08 $4.08
$1.48 MX$27.32
175.68%
Eggs
$3.94 $3.94
$2.49 MX$45.99
58.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.33 $12.33
$7.52 MX$139
63.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.71 $15.71
$7.96 MX$147
97.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.47 $16.47
$12.57 MX$232
31.03%
Apples (1kg)
$5.91 $5.91
$2.78 MX$51.3
112.59%
Banana (1kg)
$2.41 $2.41
$1.43 MX$26.37
68.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.99 $3.99
$2.62 MX$48.37
52.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.32 $5.32
$2.14 MX$39.49
148.60%
Potato (1kg)
$3.24 $3.24
$2.02 MX$37.38
60.40%
Onion (1kg)
$2.73 $2.73
$1.99 MX$36.74
37.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.02 $2.02
$1.14 MX$21.01
77.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 $1.99
$1.20 MX$22.18
65.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.16 $12.16
$4.26 MX$78.7
185.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.67 $14.67
$10.02 MX$185
46.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.54 MX$28.41
39.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.06 $4.06
$2.66 MX$49.17
52.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Bradley, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.83 $1.83
$0.53 MX$9.73
245.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.57 $5.57
$4.90 MX$90.6
13.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.90 $2.90
$3.43 MX$63.5
-15.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.19 $17.19
$5.38 MX$99.4
219.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.45 MX$26.76
-22.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K $27.6K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
30.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K $26.4K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
14.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bradley, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$219 $219
$85.4 MX$1,577
157.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.7 $51.7
$23.46 MX$434
120.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.9 $64.9
$28.43 MX$525
128.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bradley, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.30 $44.30
$62.2 MX$1,149
-28.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.68 MX$530
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.56 $9.56
$5.10 MX$94.3
87.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bradley, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,228 $1,228
$201 MX$3,715
510.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K $12.4K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
214.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bradley, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.39 $46.39
$44.39 MX$820
4.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.79 $24.79
$41.35 MX$764
-40.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$58.5 $58.5
$72.7 MX$1,344
-19.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.2 $50.2
$89.6 MX$1,656
-44.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bradley, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,476 $1,476
$979 MX$18.1K
50.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,161 $1,161
$373 MX$6,887
211.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,202 $2,202
$1,681 MX$31.1K
31.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,977 $1,977
$1,095 MX$20.2K
80.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,548 $2,548
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-35.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,217 $2,217
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-63.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bradley, IL
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.82
11.45
-40.44%

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

Last update for Bradley, IL: October 18, 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
Bradley, IL
$1.2K
Playa del Carmen
$373 67.9% $788
Groceries & Markets
Bradley, IL
$413
Playa del Carmen
$258 37.4% $154
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bradley, IL
$336
Playa del Carmen
$137 59.2% $199
Eating Out
Bradley, IL
$259
Playa del Carmen
$200 22.7% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Bradley, IL
$81
Playa del Carmen
$112 37.9% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Bradley, IL
$63
Playa del Carmen
$72 14.2% $9
Getting Around
Bradley, IL
$27 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 88.6% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,476 in Bradley, IL and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63.0 in Bradley, IL vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Bradley, IL
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
22:17 10:17 PM
22:17 10:17 PM
Same time as Bradley, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,419
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bradley, IL Playa del Carmen 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bradley, IL
  • 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
Bradley, IL vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bradley, IL and in Playa del Carmen?
Bradley, IL and Playa del Carmen differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($2,340 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Bradley, IL compared to Playa del Carmen?
You'd need roughly $3,510 in Bradley, IL 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Bradley, IL and in Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,476 in Bradley, IL versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Bradley, IL and Playa del Carmen?
Childcare runs $1,228 in Bradley, IL versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $63.0 in Bradley, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,340 in Bradley, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bradley, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bradley, IL and Playa del Carmen?
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.
Where should expats move: Bradley, IL or Playa del Carmen?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Bradley, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Bradley, IL vs other spots: cost of living compared

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