Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bray and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,126 in Bray, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Bray
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Bray Living Index
59

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

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Bray

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,126

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,126 per month in Bray vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bray $3,126
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,556 per month in Bray vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bray $4,556
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $5,986 per month in Bray vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bray $5,986
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Bray costs about 160% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bray sits 131% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.73 €21.11

$10.86 MX$201

118.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €90.2

$44.21 MX$817

129.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.57 €12.07

$11.76 MX$217

15.39%

Cappuccino

$4.83 €4.30

$3.68 MX$68.0

31.25%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.34 MX$24.79

123.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.82 MX$15.24

168.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 €7.06

$3.06 MX$56.6

159.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 €6.25

$4.94 MX$91.2

42.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.47 MX$27.17

10.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.22 MX$40.95

3.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.48 MX$27.32

39.86%

Eggs

$4.40 €3.92

$2.49 MX$45.99

76.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 €8.93

$7.52 MX$139

33.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 €9.79

$7.96 MX$147

38.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 €11.87

$12.57 MX$232

6.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.78 MX$51.3

-0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.43 MX$26.37

56.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.62 MX$48.37

5.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 €3.58

$2.14 MX$39.49

87.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.02 MX$37.38

-5.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.37

$1.99 MX$36.74

-22.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.14 MX$21.01

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.20 MX$22.18

52.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.38 €18.13

$4.26 MX$78.7

378.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.72 €12.20

$10.02 MX$185

36.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$1.54 MX$28.41

127.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.66 MX$49.17

30.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 €2.26

$0.53 MX$9.73

379.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 €97.9

$27.51 MX$508

300.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 €4.67

$4.90 MX$90.6

7.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.43 MX$63.5

-58.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.24 €34.01

$5.38 MX$99.4

610.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.45 MX$26.76

42.07%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

86.46%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

66.61%

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

$271 €241

$85.4 MX$1,577

217.29%

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

$20.64 €18.36

$23.46 MX$434

-12.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.20

$28.43 MX$525

78.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 €58.3

$62.2 MX$1,149

5.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 €15.15

$28.68 MX$530

-40.59%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 €14.01

$5.10 MX$94.3

209.02%

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

$1,004 €893

$201 MX$3,715

399.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K €12.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

268.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.1

$44.39 MX$820

123.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.70 €43.32

$41.35 MX$764

17.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €96.7

$72.7 MX$1,344

49.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$89.6 MX$1,656

26.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 €1,977

$979 MX$18.1K

126.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,502

$373 MX$6,887

353.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,799 €3,379

$1,681 MX$31.1K

126.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 €2,460

$1,095 MX$20.2K

152.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K €9,101

$3,949 MX$73.0K

159.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,718 €5,976

$6,137 MX$113.4K

9.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,150 €2,802

$738 MX$13.6K

327.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

11.45

-66.64%

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

Last update for Bray: October 17, 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

Bray

$1.7K 54%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 77.9% $1.3K

Eating Out

Bray

$363 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 44.9% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bray

$342 11%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.9% $205

Groceries & Markets

Bray

$336 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 23.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Bray

$166 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.9% $55

Getting Around

Bray

$133 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 61% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Bray

$97 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 25.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,222 in Bray versus $979 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.

Salaries run about 327% higher in Bray, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bray versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Bray

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

5 h behind Bray

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,512

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bray Playa del Carmen 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bray
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

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

Yes – Bray is pricier by about 160%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,690 per month in Bray and $1,806 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,126 in Bray and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 160%.

Public transport costs about 300% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Bray at $3,126. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bray it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Bray makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.