Cost of Living Comparison Between Braintree and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Braintree and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $2,258 per month in Braintree vs $1,293 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

A couple spends around $3,365 per month in Braintree vs $2,334 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

A family of three spends $4,473 per month in Braintree vs $3,374 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Braintree costs about 75% more than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Braintree sits 64% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.73 £15.38

$11.71 MX$199

77.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.1 £69.8

$46.59 MX$791

101.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 £8.01

$11.65 MX$198

-7.30%

Cappuccino

$4.74 £3.51

$4.09 MX$69.5

15.89%

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

$1.93 £1.43

$1.37 MX$23.34

40.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 £0.87

$0.83 MX$14.16

42.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 £5.00

$3.35 MX$56.9

101.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 £4.54

$6.91 MX$117

-11.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.73 MX$29.33

-8.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 £1.01

$2.26 MX$38.39

-39.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.77 MX$30.05

-5.65%

Eggs

$3.25 £2.41

$2.73 MX$46.41

19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 £6.38

$9.18 MX$156

-6.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 £5.89

$8.92 MX$151

-10.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 £10.03

$12.60 MX$214

7.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 £2.41

$3.02 MX$51.3

7.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 £1.07

$1.57 MX$26.68

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 £1.90

$2.13 MX$36.10

20.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 £2.22

$2.26 MX$38.46

32.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 £1.27

$2.00 MX$34.04

-14.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 £1.07

$2.06 MX$35.06

-29.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.95

$1.18 MX$20.04

8.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.20 MX$20.45

20.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.78 £17.63

$4.63 MX$78.7

413.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 £6.81

$10.69 MX$182

-14.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 £2.03

$1.62 MX$27.50

69.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 £1.78

$2.88 MX$48.93

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 £2.56

$0.57 MX$9.74

505.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.3 £70.7

$29.83 MX$507

219.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 £3.77

$5.45 MX$92.5

-6.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 £1.02

$3.70 MX$62.9

-62.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.83 £16.19

$5.98 MX$102

265.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.55 MX$26.38

26.45%

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

$39.2K £29.1K

$22.3K MX$379.2K

75.51%

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

$41.0K £30.4K

$25.9K MX$440.7K

57.92%

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

$251 £186

$89.1 MX$1,514

181.87%

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

$15.04 £11.16

$25.04 MX$425

-39.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.59 £30.10

$31.50 MX$535

28.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.21 £35.02

$67.8 MX$1,151

-30.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.92 MX$491

Cinema Ticket

$21.30 £15.80

$5.05 MX$85.8

321.78%

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

$1,070 £794

$225 MX$3,820

375.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K £15.1K

$4,222 MX$71.7K

381.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 £52.9

$47.44 MX$806

50.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.10 £23.07

$44.98 MX$764

-30.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 £60.4

$82.0 MX$1,392

-0.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.4 £38.13

$92.1 MX$1,564

-44.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 £913

$1,069 MX$18.2K

15.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 £768

$405 MX$6,884

155.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 £1,569

$1,935 MX$32.9K

9.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 £1,288

$1,301 MX$22.1K

33.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,191 £3,850

$3,995 MX$67.9K

29.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,409 £3,270

$6,626 MX$112.5K

-33.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$749 MX$12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.84

11.45

-57.73%

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

Last update for Braintree: August 29, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,231 in Braintree versus $1,069 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 $94.0 in Braintree versus $47.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Braintree vs $277 in Playa del Carmen – so Braintree wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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: $2,258 in Braintree, $1,293 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 75% apart. Braintree costs more across the board, with Eating Out showing the biggest gap.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,387 per month in Braintree and $1,940 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Braintree – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Braintree and $47.00 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 $1,293, than in Braintree at $2,258. 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 $1,293 in Playa del Carmen to $2,258 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.