Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Branson, MO and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,056 in Branson, MO, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Branson, MO
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Branson, MO Living Index
59

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

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Branson, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,056

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,056 per month in Branson, MO vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Branson, MO $2,056
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,975 per month in Branson, MO vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Branson, MO $2,975
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,895 per month in Branson, MO vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Branson, MO $3,895
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Branson, MO costs about 70% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Branson, MO sits 52% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.17 $20.17

$10.76 MX$199

87.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$43.03 MX$795

41.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 $10.59

$11.79 MX$218

-10.18%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$3.87 MX$71.4

29.72%

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

$1.46 $1.46

$1.37 MX$25.29

6.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.84 MX$15.44

15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.10 MX$57.3

26.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 $5.02

$5.07 MX$93.6

-0.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.44 MX$26.55

-15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.23 MX$41.23

51.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.47 MX$27.17

109.52%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.53 MX$46.71

63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$7.30 MX$135

8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$7.86 MX$145

15.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$12.79 MX$236

7.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.90 MX$53.6

51.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.44 MX$26.53

10.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.55 MX$47.07

-11.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.06 MX$38.03

176.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.00 MX$36.97

7.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.01 MX$37.07

7.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.19 MX$22.02

24.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.26 MX$23.23

63.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 $6.84

$4.40 MX$81.4

55.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.06 $13.06

$9.59 MX$177

36.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.59 MX$29.41

27.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.81 MX$51.9

6.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.57 MX$10.47

261.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$4.98 MX$92.1

-50.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$3.50 MX$64.6

-65.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 $60.6

$5.40 MX$99.8

1022.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.47 MX$27.08

-30.61%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

67.39%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

1.87%

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

$106 $106

$84.2 MX$1,556

26.27%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$23.99 MX$443

170.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.8 $71.8

$29.02 MX$536

147.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.22 $44.22

$63.0 MX$1,164

-29.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.88 $11.88

$29.14 MX$539

-59.23%

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 $14.92

$4.94 MX$91.3

202.02%

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

$798 $798

$204 MX$3,763

292.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

440.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.55 $30.55

$43.60 MX$806

-29.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.14 $43.14

$43.12 MX$797

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 $74.4

$75.8 MX$1,400

-1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$88.6 MX$1,637

66.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 $1,056

$1,008 MX$18.6K

4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$958 $958

$374 MX$6,911

156.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,664 $1,664

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-2.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 $1,414

$1,106 MX$20.4K

27.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.45

-42.71%

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

Last update for Branson, MO: 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

Branson, MO

$958 46.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 61% $584

Groceries & Markets

Branson, MO

$338 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 23.4% $79

Eating Out

Branson, MO

$293 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 30.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Branson, MO

$243 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 43.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Branson, MO

$133 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 15% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Branson, MO

$74 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 1.6% $1.2

Getting Around

Branson, MO

$17 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 214% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Branson, MO 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 $61.0 in Branson, MO versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Branson, MO

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

Same time as Branson, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,746

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Branson, MO Playa del Carmen 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Branson, MO
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

Branson, MO vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,056 in Branson, MO, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 70% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,083 per month in Branson, MO 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Branson, MO and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Branson, MO, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Branson, MO at $2,056. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Branson, MO 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 $2,056 in Branson, MO. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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