Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brest, France and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,385 in Brest, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index
58

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

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Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,385

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,385 in Brest versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Brest $1,385
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,163 in Brest versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Brest $2,163
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,941 in Brest versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Brest $2,941
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Brest is roughly 15% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brest is 2% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.75 €14.11

$10.92 MX$205

44.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.99 €39.40

$43.37 MX$814

1.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$11.78 MX$221

-5.35%

Cappuccino

$2.91 €2.61

$3.81 MX$71.5

-23.62%

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

$2.92 €2.62

$1.28 MX$24.07

128.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$0.78 MX$14.70

170.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 €6.05

$3.17 MX$59.5

113.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.70

$4.93 MX$92.7

6.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.41 MX$26.40

-19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.44

$2.22 MX$41.62

-27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 €2.26

$1.42 MX$26.61

77.46%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.25

$2.52 MX$47.36

44.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.30 €16.39

$7.26 MX$136

152.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 €9.15

$7.70 MX$144

32.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.01 €12.55

$12.69 MX$238

10.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.70

$2.78 MX$52.3

8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.37 MX$25.68

39.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.55 MX$47.89

0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.12 MX$39.86

31.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.94 MX$36.39

-10.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.89 MX$35.41

12.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.15 MX$21.53

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.31

$1.18 MX$22.13

-71.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.59 €12.17

$4.30 MX$80.6

216.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$9.95 MX$187

-34.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.39

$1.58 MX$29.73

68.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.48

$2.67 MX$50.1

3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.55 MX$10.39

236.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.15 €35.96

$26.62 MX$500

50.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.12 €7.27

$4.97 MX$93.3

63.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 €2.71

$3.33 MX$62.5

-9.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.43 €28.15

$5.36 MX$101

486.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.44 MX$27.11

45.14%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

72.96%

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

$33.9K €30.4K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

44.57%

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

$138 €123

$84.8 MX$1,592

62.58%

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

$28.25 €25.30

$23.41 MX$439

20.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.23

$28.66 MX$538

6.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.19 €31.51

$57.1 MX$1,071

-38.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.11 €13.54

$28.91 MX$543

-47.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 €12.46

$5.14 MX$96.5

170.62%

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

$224 €201

$207 MX$3,878

8.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

194.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.2 €62.9

$43.35 MX$814

61.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.19 €27.04

$41.44 MX$778

-27.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 €71.2

$74.2 MX$1,393

7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 €64.5

$89.3 MX$1,676

-19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 €455

$980 MX$18.4K

-48.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 €341

$381 MX$7,150

0.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$864 €774

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-49.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 €660

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-31.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,809 €2,516

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-28.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,453 €2,197

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-60.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,594 €2,323

$735 MX$13.8K

253.19%

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 Brest: October 25, 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

Brest

$381 27.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 0.1% $0.4

Groceries & Markets

Brest

$302 21.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 15.5% $47

Eating Out

Brest

$259 18.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 21.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brest

$197 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Brest

$113 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 1.4% $1.6

Getting Around

Brest

$71 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 28.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Brest

$63 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 6.8% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Brest and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brest pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Brest vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Brest

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

6 h behind Brest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,619

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brest Playa del Carmen 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Brest
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Brest. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Brest is about 3.5 times higher, 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: $508 in Brest versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in Brest versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 34% less than in Brest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Brest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.