Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brownsville, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,752 in Brownsville, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Brownsville, TX
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Brownsville, TX Living Index
58

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

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Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,752

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,752 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $1,752
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,612 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $2,612
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,472 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $3,472
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Brownsville, TX costs about 45% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Brownsville, TX sits 29% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 $10.13

$10.92 MX$205

-7.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 $59.9

$43.37 MX$815

38.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 $7.95

$11.78 MX$221

-32.51%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$3.81 MX$71.6

5.77%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$1.28 MX$24.10

58.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.78 MX$14.71

157.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.17 MX$59.5

59.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.93 MX$92.7

3.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.41 MX$26.43

-39.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.22 MX$41.66

0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.42 MX$26.64

56.34%

Eggs

$2.83 $2.83

$2.52 MX$47.41

12.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$7.26 MX$137

28.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$7.70 MX$145

66.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 $9.11

$12.69 MX$239

-28.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.78 MX$52.3

-6.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.37 MX$25.71

67.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.55 MX$47.94

-34.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.12 MX$39.90

-6.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.94 MX$36.43

49.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.89 MX$35.44

-43.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.15 MX$21.55

-12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.18 MX$22.16

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 $9.57

$4.30 MX$80.7

122.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$9.95 MX$187

-26.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.58 MX$29.76

29.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.67 MX$50.2

-16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.97 MX$93.4

-16.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 $0.77

$3.33 MX$62.6

-76.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.44 MX$27.14

-40.28%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

39.91%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

3.67%

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

$162 $162

$84.8 MX$1,594

90.61%

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

$37.04 $37.04

$23.41 MX$440

58.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$28.66 MX$539

135.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.89 $49.89

$57.1 MX$1,072

-12.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 $11.78

$5.14 MX$96.6

129.18%

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

$595 $595

$207 MX$3,882

188.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 $78.7

$43.35 MX$815

81.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.47 $44.47

$41.44 MX$779

7.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 $75.8

$74.2 MX$1,394

2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 $96.5

$89.3 MX$1,677

8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 $944

$980 MX$18.4K

-3.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 $796

$381 MX$7,157

109.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 $1,656

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-3.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 $1,384

$1,075 MX$20.2K

28.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 $1,860

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-52.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,856 $1,856

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-69.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,159 $3,159

$735 MX$13.8K

330.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

11.45

-43.41%

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

Last update for Brownsville, TX: 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

Brownsville, TX

$796 45.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 52.2% $415

Groceries & Markets

Brownsville, TX

$271 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 5.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brownsville, TX

$266 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.6% $129

Eating Out

Brownsville, TX

$205 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 1.2% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Brownsville, TX

$133 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Brownsville, TX

$73 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.3% $6.1

Getting Around

Brownsville, TX

$8 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 531% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $944 in Brownsville, TX 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 Brownsville, TX are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Brownsville, TX versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $271 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

21:03 9:03 PM

1 h ahead of Brownsville, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,738

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brownsville, TX Playa del Carmen 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Brownsville, TX
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

Brownsville, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,752 in Brownsville, TX, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,628 per month in Brownsville, TX and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $944 in Brownsville, TX and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,752 in Brownsville, TX and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 31% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $595 per month in Brownsville, TX 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 Brownsville, TX at $1,752. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brownsville, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,752 in Brownsville, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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