Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Breckenridge, CO and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,766 in Breckenridge, CO, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year.

Breckenridge, CO
🇺🇸 United States
$3,766
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,766 per month in Breckenridge, CO vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Breckenridge, CO $3,766
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $5,201 per month in Breckenridge, CO vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Breckenridge, CO $5,201
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $6,637 per month in Breckenridge, CO vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Breckenridge, CO $6,637
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Breckenridge, CO costs about 211% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Breckenridge, CO sits 179% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Breckenridge, CO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.89 $16.89
$10.65 MX$197
58.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.2 $80.2
$42.62 MX$788
88.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.12 $11.12
$11.69 MX$216
-4.88%
Cappuccino
$6.13 $6.13
$3.83 MX$70.9
60.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 $2.47
$1.36 MX$25.10
81.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 $2.09
$0.83 MX$15.26
151.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.14 $7.14
$3.07 MX$56.7
132.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.84 $6.84
$5.01 MX$92.7
36.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Breckenridge, CO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.42 MX$26.18
-27.46%
White Bread (500g)
$2.86 $2.86
$2.21 MX$40.87
29.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.70 $2.70
$1.46 MX$26.98
84.93%
Eggs
$4.34 $4.34
$2.50 MX$46.15
73.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.13 $11.13
$7.23 MX$134
53.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.51 $9.51
$7.78 MX$144
22.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.26 $15.26
$12.67 MX$234
20.44%
Apples (1kg)
$4.94 $4.94
$2.88 MX$53.2
71.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.43 MX$26.34
5.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.33 $4.33
$2.53 MX$46.71
71.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.77 $4.77
$2.04 MX$37.67
133.82%
Potato (1kg)
$3.58 $3.58
$1.98 MX$36.60
80.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.63 $1.63
$2.00 MX$36.88
-18.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.02 $2.02
$1.18 MX$21.83
71.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 $1.74
$1.25 MX$23.04
39.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.47 $10.47
$4.36 MX$80.6
140.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.37 $16.37
$9.50 MX$176
72.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.57 $2.57
$1.57 MX$29.04
63.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 $2.62
$2.79 MX$51.6
-6.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Breckenridge, CO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.56 MX$10.28
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.56 MX$509
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.53 $2.53
$4.93 MX$91.2
-48.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 $1.83
$3.47 MX$64.1
-47.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.05 $25.05
$5.35 MX$98.9
368.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 $1.06
$1.45 MX$26.71
-26.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.9K $24.9K
$20.8K MX$384.1K
19.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.9K $25.9K
$23.4K MX$432.0K
10.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Breckenridge, CO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$209 $209
$83.4 MX$1,542
150.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$56.5 $56.5
$23.76 MX$439
137.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$66.3 $66.3
$28.75 MX$531
130.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Breckenridge, CO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.0 $69.0
$62.4 MX$1,153
10.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.28 $28.28
$28.87 MX$533
-2.04%
Cinema Ticket
$11.89 $11.89
$4.90 MX$90.6
142.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Breckenridge, CO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,285 $1,285
$202 MX$3,727
537.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K $12.5K
$3,904 MX$72.1K
220.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Breckenridge, CO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.2 $59.2
$43.21 MX$799
37.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.94 $29.94
$42.75 MX$790
-29.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.5 $81.5
$75.1 MX$1,387
8.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 $118
$87.8 MX$1,623
34.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Breckenridge, CO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,892 $2,892
$999 MX$18.5K
189.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,528 $2,528
$371 MX$6,848
582.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,845 $5,845
$1,692 MX$31.3K
245.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,877 $3,877
$1,096 MX$20.2K
253.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,330 $8,330
$3,912 MX$72.3K
112.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,293 $8,293
$6,113 MX$113.0K
35.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Breckenridge, CO
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,258 $6,258
$747 MX$13.8K
737.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.77
11.45
-40.87%

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

Last update for Breckenridge, CO: October 12, 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
Breckenridge, CO
$2.5K
Playa del Carmen
$374 85.2% $2.2K
Groceries & Markets
Breckenridge, CO
$362
Playa del Carmen
$258 28.7% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Breckenridge, CO
$332
Playa del Carmen
$137 58.6% $195
Eating Out
Breckenridge, CO
$310
Playa del Carmen
$202 34.7% $107
Clothing & Footwear
Breckenridge, CO
$130
Playa del Carmen
$113 13% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Breckenridge, CO
$93
Playa del Carmen
$73 21.5% $20
Getting Around
Breckenridge, CO
$12 *
Playa del Carmen
$53 351% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,892 in Breckenridge, CO 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.

Salaries run about 730% higher in Breckenridge, CO, 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 $80.0 in Breckenridge, CO versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Breckenridge, CO
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
03:36 3:36 AM
04:36 4:36 AM
1 h ahead of Breckenridge, CO
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Breckenridge, CO Playa del Carmen 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Breckenridge, CO
  • 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
Breckenridge, CO vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Breckenridge, CO?
Yes – Breckenridge, CO is pricier by about 211%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,649 per month in Breckenridge, CO and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
What are total monthly expenses in Breckenridge, CO and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,766 in Breckenridge, CO and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 211%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,285 per month in Breckenridge, CO and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Breckenridge, CO or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Breckenridge, CO at $3,766. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Breckenridge, CO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Breckenridge, CO or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Breckenridge, CO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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