Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brunswick, ME and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,678 in Brunswick, ME, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Brunswick, ME
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Brunswick, ME Living Index
58

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

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Brunswick, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,678

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,678 in Brunswick, ME versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Brunswick, ME $2,678
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,022 in Brunswick, ME versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Brunswick, ME $4,022
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,366 in Brunswick, ME versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Brunswick, ME $5,366
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Brunswick, ME is roughly 122% 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: Brunswick, ME is 97% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.46 $25.46

$10.92 MX$204

133.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$43.37 MX$808

171.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.94 $14.94

$11.78 MX$220

26.83%

Cappuccino

$6.36 $6.36

$3.81 MX$71.0

66.93%

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

$3.13 $3.13

$1.28 MX$23.90

144.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.78 MX$14.59

206.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 $7.92

$3.17 MX$59.0

149.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.93 MX$92.0

65.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.41 MX$26.22

-28.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.23 $3.23

$2.22 MX$41.33

45.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.42 MX$26.42

142.25%

Eggs

$2.45 $2.45

$2.52 MX$47.03

-2.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.95 $12.95

$7.26 MX$135

78.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 $10.24

$7.70 MX$143

32.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$12.69 MX$237

25.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.78 MX$51.9

67.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.37 MX$25.50

7.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.55 MX$47.55

77.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$2.12 MX$39.58

201.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.94 MX$36.13

71.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.89 MX$35.16

92.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.15 MX$21.37

112.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.18 MX$21.98

63.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.97 $8.97

$4.30 MX$80.1

108.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 $13.13

$9.95 MX$185

31.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.58 MX$29.52

-12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.67 MX$49.79

-27.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.55 MX$10.31

261.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 $59.7

$26.62 MX$496

124.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$4.97 MX$92.6

-59.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.33 MX$62.1

-54.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 $11.15

$5.36 MX$99.8

108.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.44 MX$26.92

-27.78%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

29.90%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

12.30%

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

$158 $158

$84.8 MX$1,581

85.82%

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

$68.0 $68.0

$23.41 MX$436

190.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.1 $78.1

$28.66 MX$534

172.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.42 $35.42

$57.1 MX$1,063

-37.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$5.14 MX$95.8

175.10%

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

$1,242 $1,242

$207 MX$3,851

501.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

577.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 $52.0

$43.35 MX$808

19.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.5 $81.5

$41.44 MX$772

96.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$74.2 MX$1,383

38.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$89.3 MX$1,664

48.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 $1,557

$980 MX$18.3K

58.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$381 MX$7,099

239.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,708 MX$31.8K

47.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 $2,076

$1,075 MX$20.0K

93.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,959 $2,959

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-24.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,310 $2,310

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-62.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,782 $4,782

$735 MX$13.7K

551.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.45

-43.23%

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

Last update for Brunswick, ME: 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

Brunswick, ME

$1.3K 48.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.5% $911

Eating Out

Brunswick, ME

$403 15%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 49.8% $200

Groceries & Markets

Brunswick, ME

$373 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 31.7% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brunswick, ME

$304 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.9% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Brunswick, ME

$166 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.7% $54

Getting Around

Brunswick, ME

$77 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 34.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Brunswick, ME

$64 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.7% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,557 in Brunswick, ME and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brunswick, ME pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $118 in Brunswick, ME vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brunswick, ME

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

1 h behind Brunswick, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,287

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brunswick, ME Playa del Carmen 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brunswick, ME
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

Brunswick, ME vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 122% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Brunswick, ME is about 6.5 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: $1,557 in Brunswick, ME 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 $2,678 per month in Brunswick, ME versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 55% less than in Brunswick, ME. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,678 in Brunswick, ME, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Brunswick, ME. 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 55% less than in Brunswick, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.