Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brockton, MA and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,744 in Brockton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Brockton, MA
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Brockton, MA Living Index
58

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

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Brockton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,744

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,744 in Brockton, MA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Brockton, MA $2,744
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,996 in Brockton, MA versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Brockton, MA $3,996
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,249 in Brockton, MA versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Brockton, MA $5,249
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Brockton, MA is roughly 128% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brockton, MA is 102% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.88 $14.88

$10.92 MX$203

36.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.3 $95.3

$43.37 MX$808

119.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 $7.46

$11.78 MX$219

-36.67%

Cappuccino

$5.31 $5.31

$3.81 MX$71.0

39.37%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$1.28 MX$23.89

95.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.78 MX$14.58

87.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.17 MX$59.0

55.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$4.93 MX$91.9

63.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.41 MX$26.20

-23.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.22 MX$41.30

76.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$1.42 MX$26.40

272.54%

Eggs

$4.91 $4.91

$2.52 MX$47.00

94.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$7.26 MX$135

53.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.11 $14.11

$7.70 MX$143

83.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.82 $17.82

$12.69 MX$236

40.43%

Apples (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$2.78 MX$51.9

143.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.37 MX$25.49

29.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$2.55 MX$47.52

167.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.12 MX$39.55

166.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.94 MX$36.11

40.72%

Onion (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.89 MX$35.13

133.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.15 MX$21.36

159.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.18 MX$21.96

71.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 $13.92

$4.30 MX$80.0

223.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 $13.75

$9.95 MX$185

38.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.58 MX$29.50

36.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.67 MX$49.76

58.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.55 MX$10.31

270.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 $61.0

$26.62 MX$496

129.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 $3.32

$4.97 MX$92.6

-33.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.33 MX$62.1

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.34 $33.34

$5.36 MX$99.8

522.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.44 MX$26.90

-29.17%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

34.41%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

11.63%

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

$323 $323

$84.8 MX$1,580

281.37%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$23.41 MX$436

172.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.4 $85.4

$28.66 MX$534

197.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.56 $40.56

$57.1 MX$1,063

-28.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 $14.52

$5.14 MX$95.7

182.49%

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

$1,819 $1,819

$207 MX$3,848

780.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,063 $8,063

$3,927 MX$73.2K

105.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 $56.4

$43.35 MX$808

30.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.76 $37.76

$41.44 MX$772

-8.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$74.2 MX$1,382

8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$89.3 MX$1,663

12.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,543 $1,543

$980 MX$18.2K

57.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$381 MX$7,095

237.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$1,708 MX$31.8K

49.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,088 $2,088

$1,075 MX$20.0K

94.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,807 $2,807

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-28.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,096 $2,096

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-65.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,395 $4,395

$735 MX$13.7K

498.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.45

-42.01%

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

Last update for Brockton, MA: 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

Brockton, MA

$1.3K 46.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.4% $906

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brockton, MA

$472 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 71% $336

Groceries & Markets

Brockton, MA

$448 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 43.1% $193

Eating Out

Brockton, MA

$262 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 22.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Brockton, MA

$124 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.9% $12

Getting Around

Brockton, MA

$82 3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 38.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Brockton, MA

$70 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,543 in Brockton, MA and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brockton, MA pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $95 in Brockton, MA vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $448 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brockton, MA

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

20:25 8:25 PM

1 h behind Brockton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,191

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brockton, MA Playa del Carmen 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Brockton, MA
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

Brockton, MA vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Brockton, MA. 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 Brockton, MA is about 6 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: $1,543 in Brockton, MA versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,744 per month in Brockton, MA versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 56% less than in Brockton, MA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,744 in Brockton, MA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Brockton, MA. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Brockton, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.