Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brentwood and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,111 in Brentwood, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Brentwood
Learn more

Brentwood Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Brentwood

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,111

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,111 per month in Brentwood vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brentwood $3,111
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,366 per month in Brentwood vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brentwood $4,366
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,620 per month in Brentwood vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brentwood $5,620
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Brentwood costs about 158% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Brentwood sits 129% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.84 £14.93

$10.92 MX$204

81.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 £61.3

$43.37 MX$808

87.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 £8.86

$11.78 MX$220

-0.08%

Cappuccino

$4.88 £3.67

$3.81 MX$71.0

28.08%

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

$1.89 £1.42

$1.28 MX$23.90

47.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 £0.86

$0.78 MX$14.59

47.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 £5.03

$3.17 MX$59.0

111.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 £4.48

$4.93 MX$92.0

20.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.41 MX$26.22

19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 £0.83

$2.22 MX$41.33

-50.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.70

$1.42 MX$26.42

58.45%

Eggs

$4.10 £3.08

$2.52 MX$47.03

62.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 £6.26

$7.26 MX$135

14.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.27 £4.72

$7.70 MX$143

-18.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 £9.84

$12.69 MX$237

3.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.78 MX$51.9

15.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.37 MX$25.50

4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 £1.94

$2.55 MX$47.55

0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 £2.17

$2.12 MX$39.58

35.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 £0.56

$1.94 MX$36.13

-61.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.89 MX$35.16

-34.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 £0.63

$1.15 MX$21.37

-26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 £0.99

$1.18 MX$21.98

11.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.20 £12.95

$4.30 MX$80.1

300.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.37 £7.05

$9.95 MX$185

-5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.58 MX$29.52

32.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 £1.59

$2.67 MX$49.79

-20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 £3.92

$0.55 MX$10.31

847.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.3 £71.7

$26.62 MX$496

257.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 £3.79

$4.97 MX$92.6

1.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.08

$3.33 MX$62.1

-57.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.24 £16.73

$5.36 MX$99.8

314.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.50

$1.44 MX$26.92

38.19%

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

$39.3K £29.6K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

90.15%

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

$40.1K £30.2K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

70.86%

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

$316 £238

$84.8 MX$1,581

272.50%

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

$14.14 £10.64

$23.41 MX$436

-39.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.24 £31.04

$28.66 MX$534

43.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.66 £25.33

$57.1 MX$1,063

-41.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.07 £17.37

$28.91 MX$539

-20.20%

Cinema Ticket

$20.57 £15.48

$5.14 MX$95.8

300.19%

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

$1,914 £1,441

$207 MX$3,851

826.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K £16.9K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

471.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.3 £69.5

$43.35 MX$808

112.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.45 £29.69

$41.44 MX$772

-4.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 £60.9

$74.2 MX$1,383

9.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.7 £72.8

$89.3 MX$1,664

8.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 £1,149

$980 MX$18.3K

55.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,379

$381 MX$7,099

381.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,781 £2,093

$1,708 MX$31.8K

62.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,858 £2,151

$1,075 MX$20.0K

165.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,041 £3,794

$3,943 MX$73.5K

27.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,864 £2,908

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-37.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,389 £2,550

$735 MX$13.7K

361.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.67

11.45

-59.21%

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

Last update for Brentwood: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brentwood

$1.8K 58.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 79.2% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood

$371 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63.1% $234

Eating Out

Brentwood

$310 10%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 34.7% $108

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood

$256 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 0.3% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood

$139 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 19.8% $28

Getting Around

Brentwood

$128 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 60.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood

$75 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 10% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,527 in Brentwood versus $980 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 in Brentwood are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Brentwood versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Brentwood

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

17:29 5:29 PM

5 h behind Brentwood

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,575

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brentwood Playa del Carmen 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Brentwood costs about 158% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,667 per month in Brentwood 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,527 in Brentwood.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,111 in Brentwood and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 61% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,914 per month in Brentwood and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Brentwood at $3,111. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brentwood 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.

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