Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braintree and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,191 in Braintree, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Braintree
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Braintree Living Index
59

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

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Braintree

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,191

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,191 per month in Braintree vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Braintree $2,191
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,260 per month in Braintree vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Braintree $3,260
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,329 per month in Braintree vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Braintree $4,329
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Braintree costs about 81% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Braintree sits 62% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.01 £15.01

$10.76 MX$199

85.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 £68.6

$43.03 MX$795

112.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 £7.83

$11.79 MX$218

-11.45%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.46

$3.87 MX$71.4

19.12%

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

$1.82 £1.36

$1.37 MX$25.29

32.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 £0.85

$0.84 MX$15.44

34.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 £5.03

$3.10 MX$57.3

116.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 £4.42

$5.07 MX$93.6

16.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.44 MX$26.55

-0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 £1.03

$2.23 MX$41.23

-38.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.47 MX$27.17

11.56%

Eggs

$2.95 £2.21

$2.53 MX$46.71

16.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 £6.49

$7.30 MX$135

18.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.74 £5.81

$7.86 MX$145

-1.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.97 £9.73

$12.79 MX$236

1.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 £2.36

$2.90 MX$53.6

8.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.44 MX$26.53

-2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 £1.94

$2.55 MX$47.07

1.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 £2.08

$2.06 MX$38.03

34.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$2.00 MX$36.97

-17.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$2.01 MX$37.07

-29.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.89

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.26 MX$23.23

7.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.37 £17.53

$4.40 MX$81.4

431.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 £6.75

$9.59 MX$177

-6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 £2.02

$1.59 MX$29.41

69.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 £1.75

$2.81 MX$51.9

-16.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.42 £2.56

$0.57 MX$10.47

500.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.4 £70.9

$27.82 MX$514

239.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 £3.58

$4.98 MX$92.1

-4.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 £0.97

$3.50 MX$64.6

-63.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.52 £16.14

$5.40 MX$99.8

298.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.47 MX$27.08

42.18%

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

$37.4K £28.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

78.15%

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

$40.0K £30.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

67.37%

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

$249 £186

$84.2 MX$1,556

195.11%

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

$14.35 £10.77

$23.99 MX$443

-40.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.48 £30.37

$29.02 MX$536

39.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.52 £34.15

$63.0 MX$1,164

-27.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$21.07 £15.81

$4.94 MX$91.3

326.52%

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

$1,070 £802

$204 MX$3,763

425.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

404.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 £52.3

$43.60 MX$806

59.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 £23.43

$43.12 MX$797

-27.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 £58.4

$75.8 MX$1,400

2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.97 £37.49

$88.6 MX$1,637

-43.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 £915

$1,008 MX$18.6K

20.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 £758

$374 MX$6,911

170.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,060 £1,545

$1,708 MX$31.6K

20.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 £1,262

$1,106 MX$20.4K

52.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,118 £3,839

$3,944 MX$72.9K

29.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,798 £2,850

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-38.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.67

11.45

-59.21%

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

Last update for Braintree: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braintree

$1K 46.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 63% $636

Eating Out

Braintree

$304 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 33.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braintree

$303 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 54.8% $166

Groceries & Markets

Braintree

$263 12%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 1.8% $4.9

Getting Around

Braintree

$119 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 56% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Braintree

$103 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 9.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Braintree

$88 4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 16.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,220 in Braintree versus $1,008 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 $91.0 in Braintree versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Braintree

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

07:34 7:34 AM

6 h behind Braintree

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

151,677

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Braintree Playa del Carmen 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Braintree
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,191 in Braintree, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 81% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,286 per month in Braintree and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Braintree, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Braintree and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Braintree at $2,191. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Braintree it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $2,191 in Braintree. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Braintree makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.