Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazzaville and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,931 in Brazzaville, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brazzaville outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Brazzaville
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Brazzaville Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Brazzaville

🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

$1,931

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,931 per month in Brazzaville vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brazzaville $1,931
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $2,959 per month in Brazzaville vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brazzaville $2,959
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $3,986 per month in Brazzaville vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brazzaville $3,986
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Brazzaville costs about 59% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Brazzaville sits 44% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.22 FCFA 4,812

$10.97 MX$201

-25.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.75 FCFA 29.1K

$44.85 MX$823

10.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 FCFA 2,839

$11.92 MX$219

-59.31%

Cappuccino

$4.05 FCFA 2,370

$3.80 MX$69.9

6.58%

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

$1.59 FCFA 929

$1.31 MX$24.08

21.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 FCFA 766

$0.86 MX$15.72

52.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 FCFA 3,264

$3.21 MX$59.0

73.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 FCFA 2,157

$5.01 MX$92.0

-26.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.75 FCFA 1,608

$1.46 MX$26.77

88.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.81 FCFA 2,813

$2.33 MX$42.72

106.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 FCFA 1,754

$1.44 MX$26.48

108.33%

Eggs

$2.87 FCFA 1,678

$2.46 MX$45.20

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.06 FCFA 9,399

$7.70 MX$141

108.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 FCFA 5,527

$7.89 MX$145

19.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 FCFA 8,422

$12.80 MX$235

12.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 FCFA 1,413

$2.92 MX$53.6

-17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 FCFA 1,022

$1.42 MX$26.11

23.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 FCFA 2,089

$2.57 MX$47.10

38.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 FCFA 1,701

$2.14 MX$39.24

35.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 FCFA 1,509

$1.95 MX$35.75

32.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 FCFA 1,376

$1.94 MX$35.55

21.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 FCFA 796

$1.15 MX$21.13

18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 FCFA 487

$1.22 MX$22.42

-31.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 FCFA 2,181

$4.38 MX$80.3

-14.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 FCFA 6,075

$9.85 MX$181

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 FCFA 145

$0.52 MX$9.64

-51.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.00 FCFA 13.5K

$27.42 MX$503

-16.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 FCFA 1,011

$4.91 MX$90.2

-64.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 FCFA 768

$3.52 MX$64.7

-62.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 FCFA 3,946

$5.69 MX$104

18.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 FCFA 798

$1.54 MX$28.27

-11.69%

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

$29.5K FCFA 17.2M

$21.2K MX$389.9K

38.67%

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

$26.9K FCFA 15.7M

$24.5K MX$449.6K

9.92%

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

$839 FCFA 491.1K

$83.6 MX$1,535

903.89%

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

$17.27 FCFA 10.1K

$24.03 MX$441

-28.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.17 FCFA 24.7K

$29.33 MX$539

43.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.27 FCFA 15.4K

$64.9 MX$1,191

-59.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 FCFA 8,133

$29.46 MX$541

-52.82%

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 FCFA 3,279

$5.09 MX$93.4

10.02%

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

$52.2 FCFA 30.5K

$208 MX$3,813

-74.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 FCFA 687.2K

$986 MX$18.1K

19.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 FCFA 264.1K

$385 MX$7,072

17.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,203 FCFA 1.9M

$1,713 MX$31.5K

86.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 FCFA 848.0K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

30.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,458 FCFA 2.0M

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-13.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,979 FCFA 1.7M

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-52.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 FCFA 264.1K

$758 MX$13.9K

-40.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

11.45

-42.88%

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

Last update for Brazzaville: October 6, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazzaville

$899 46.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 84.8% $762

Accommodation & Living

Brazzaville

$451 23.4%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 14.7% $66

Groceries & Markets

Brazzaville

$338 * 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 22.9% $77

Eating Out

Brazzaville

$176 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 16% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Brazzaville

$37 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 100% $38

Getting Around

Brazzaville

$32 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 61.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Brazzaville

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,175 in Brazzaville versus $986 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 68% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Brazzaville versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇬 Brazzaville

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

07:16 7:16 AM

6 h behind Brazzaville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,932,610 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brazzaville Playa del Carmen 11,460 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazzaville
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

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

Brazzaville costs about 59% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,897 per month in Brazzaville and $1,823 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 $50.0 in Brazzaville and $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,931 in Brazzaville and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 59%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Brazzaville at $1,931. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brazzaville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,215 versus $1,931 in Brazzaville. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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