Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brentwood, CA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brentwood, CA
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Brentwood, CA Living Index
59

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

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Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Brentwood, CA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Brentwood, CA $2,609
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,005 in Brentwood, CA versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Brentwood, CA $4,005
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,401 in Brentwood, CA versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Brentwood, CA $5,401
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Brentwood, CA is roughly 117% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brentwood, CA is 93% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 $25.11

$10.86 MX$201

131.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 $112

$44.21 MX$817

152.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.76 MX$217

28.23%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.68 MX$68.0

51.90%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.34 MX$24.79

128.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.82 MX$15.24

202.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.91 $8.91

$3.06 MX$56.6

191.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$4.94 MX$91.2

57.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.47 MX$27.17

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.22 MX$40.95

95.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.48 MX$27.32

220.95%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$2.49 MX$45.99

117.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.69 $24.69

$7.52 MX$139

228.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$7.96 MX$147

47.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$12.57 MX$232

4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.78 MX$51.3

94.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.43 MX$26.37

113.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.62 MX$48.37

80.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.14 MX$39.49

175.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.02 MX$37.38

63.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.99 MX$36.74

93.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.14 MX$21.01

159.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.20 MX$22.18

125.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$4.26 MX$78.7

174.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.02 MX$185

30.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.54 MX$28.41

40.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.66 MX$49.17

-4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.53 MX$9.73

266.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$4.90 MX$90.6

-19.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$3.43 MX$63.5

-50.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 $32.36

$5.38 MX$99.4

501.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.45 MX$26.76

6.21%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

30.74%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

18.58%

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

$137 $137

$85.4 MX$1,577

60.77%

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

$39.77 $39.77

$23.46 MX$434

69.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$28.43 MX$525

118.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.88 $39.88

$62.2 MX$1,149

-35.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 $17.89

$5.10 MX$94.3

250.78%

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

$2,330 $2,330

$201 MX$3,715

1058.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

504.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$44.39 MX$820

17.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 $39.73

$41.35 MX$764

-3.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 $76.2

$72.7 MX$1,344

4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 $59.0

$89.6 MX$1,656

-34.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$979 MX$18.1K

82.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 $1,309

$373 MX$6,887

251.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$1,681 MX$31.1K

51.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 $2,270

$1,095 MX$20.2K

107.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,730 $2,730

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-30.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 $2,181

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-64.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,395 $6,395

$738 MX$13.6K

767.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.45

-41.57%

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

Last update for Brentwood, CA: October 18, 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

Brentwood, CA

$1.3K 50.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.5% $937

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood, CA

$466 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 44.6% $208

Eating Out

Brentwood, CA

$395 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 49.4% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood, CA

$239 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 42.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood, CA

$102 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.3% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood, CA

$76 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 4.3% $3.3

Getting Around

Brentwood, CA

$20 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 156% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,791 in Brentwood, CA and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, CA pays 767% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $112 in Brentwood, CA vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brentwood, CA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

01:02 1:02 AM

2 h ahead of Brentwood, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,474

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Brentwood, CA Playa del Carmen 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Brentwood, CA
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

Brentwood, CA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brentwood, CA and Playa del Carmen differ by about 117% in total monthly costs ($2,609 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 767% higher in Brentwood, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,791 in Brentwood, CA versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Brentwood, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,609 per month in Brentwood, CA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Brentwood, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Brentwood, CA and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Brentwood, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.